Torn
by smile1
Summary: Trory. DONE! Rory and Tristan are friends, but he is forced to break her trust and ruin their friendship when his friends want him to prove himself as a true 'king'. He'll take something precious, her pride. Will he be able to fix things?
1. Prologue

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: I had a week off from school, which finally gave me the chance to get started on my new Trory. I hope you like the first chapter. :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory blindly reached for her bag of chips, which lay open on a bright red tray, making sure to avoid the still neatly packed sandwiches. The same red tray could be seen on almost every table in the large cafeteria. It made the school believe that everyone was equal and therefor deserved the same color. It was a small part of a lie that no one even bothered to believe anymore. Even though everyone wore the same uniforms, each person was different. Each person held their own style and personality, and they each had their own groups. Groups that each had their own familiar location in the cafeteria and claimed it as their own.  
  
And just like those groups, Rory had managed to find her own space. She usually ate her lunch at a table in the farthest corner of the cafeteria. A place where she could hide from the crowds and gossip. It was a space she hardly ever shared with anyone else, which she didn't mind at all. It gave her the chance to individualize herself from everybody else, just like each group was trying to distinguish themselves from all of the other crowds. Although Rory didn't have to try as hard as them. After all, she didn't belong to any clique and she was proud of that. She was proud of not letting peer pressure steer her in any direction but her own.  
  
She put the chip in her mouth and took her time chewing, before swallowing, just like she took the time to scan across the page she had just finished, looking for a small detail she had missed before. When she was sure that she had missed nothing, she turned the page, taking the time to look up. Everything was still the same, except for the view, which was being partially blocked by a boy with tousled blond hair, who was casually making his way over to her. Every few steps he stopped to greet yet another one of his friends. All popular, of course. As the most popular guy in Chilton, he wouldn't settle for anything less, except her.....  
  
Rory hid herself back behind her book, not wanting to add to his arrogance. He sat down across from her with a heavy sigh. This simple gesture got him looks from not only his friends, but also people he brushed passed every day without acknowledging. They didn't understand why he would degrade everyone who didn't fit into his social circle, but not her.  
  
Tristan reached for her pack of sandwiches, causing Rory to lower her book down to her lap and follow his movements without cracking a smile. ''Where were you during class?''  
  
''Headmaster Charleston's office,'' he answered, before taking a bite of one of the sandwiches. It took only one second for him to respond to the taste with a grimace that made Rory smile.  
  
''What's on this sandwich?'' Tristan asked with his mouth full.  
  
Rory watched him reach for a napkin and discreetly spit out the remains of his bite, before answering him. ''Yeah, see, that's what Paris wanted to know too. She actually made an appointment with the cook and demanded to see the ingredients that were used to make such a tasteful treat. Apparently they weren't to her satisfaction, cause when she came back, her face had turned white and she immediately ordered everyone who worked for the Franklin to do some research on school cafeteria sandwiches. There's going to be a story about it in Monday's issue. It might even end up on the front page. The headline's going to be something like: Cafeteria sandwiches: are they lethal enough to kill brain cells?''  
  
''Well, if the taste doesn't scare everyone off then that reassuring story definitely will.''  
  
Rory shrugged. ''I was just stating the facts. Maybe you can bring it up the next time you're in Headmaster Charleston's office. I hear that you two are becoming quite close.''  
  
''Oh, yeah, last night he took me to one of his favorite strip clubs,'' Tristan said, keeping his eyes on Rory as he tried to pinpoint her reaction. ''And let me tell you that the man has taste, the pole dancers were hot.''  
  
''I'm blocking you out now,'' Rory said, and brought her book up again.  
  
''You say this like you're not interested in why I was in his office.....''  
  
''Well, maybe I'm not. Besides, I can probably guess.''  
  
Tristan raised and eyebrow. ''Having a sudden urge to turn into one of those circus freak shows who can predict the future, Mary?''  
  
Rory pretended not to be bothered by his nickname, although she was. Every time he called her that it made her feel as if he thought he was superior to her. But she had given up on trying to tell him that a while ago. He never listened and her annoyance would only give him the response he was looking for.  
  
''It's because of your grades. They have been slipping.''  
  
''I'm impressed. There wasn't even a glass ball involved.''  
  
''If they slip anymore you won't get into a decent college,'' Rory continued, knowing him well and long enough to know that he was trying to avoid the subject. He always did.  
  
''I think you're confusing me with your boyfriend.''  
  
Rory met his eyes, obviously a little taken back by his comment. ''That was below the belt, even for you.''  
  
''If it had been below the belt you would have felt it, trust me,'' came his slick response.  
  
''I'm sure you'll feel right at home down there, in the gutter,'' Rory murmured, before she lowered her eyes to her book again, not wanting to admit that one of Tristan's comments had finally gotten to her.  
  
Tristan looked at Rory, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, he knew that he had crossed the line with his earlier comment. A comment which had slipped out and created damage that couldn't be undone or forgotten. Something he hadn't really meant, no matter how much he couldn't stand her current boyfriend. Partly he disliked Dean, because Tristan couldn't keep an eye on him and Rory when they were alone. Dean didn't go to Chilton. He didn't have the will or grades and Tristan wasn't far behind.  
  
Tristan sighed and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more. ''You know I don't like to study. It takes up too much of my time.'' He paused briefly to look at her. ''I'm not as motivated as you are.''  
  
''Don't you want to go to college?'' she asked, while raising her eyes back up to his level.  
  
''Of course I do, otherwise I wouldn't even be bothering with high school.''  
  
''There's your motivation.''  
  
''But I can't seem to focus myself on something for more than a few minutes,'' Tristan confessed, a smile already playing across his lips. ''If there would only be a thong involved.......''  
  
''I can help you,'' Rory said, realizing too late that she had walked right into that one.  
  
''You would wear a thong?''  
  
''I'm not one of your fantasies, Tristan.''  
  
''Actually,'' Tristan started, but stopping for a short pause when he noticed Rory glaring at him. ''......you're one of my daydreams.''  
  
A crimson glow quickly spread itself across Rory's cheeks, making her lower her eyes back down to her book. Tristan always knew what buttons to push, a privilege that came with knowing her as well as he did.  
  
''So, now that we got the chitchat over with, I was hoping you could do me a favor.....?''  
  
Rory recovered from her temporarily shyness quickly and locked eyes with him once more. ''I'm not wearing a thong.''  
  
Tristan ran his index finger over his lower lip, before throwing her one of his usual smirks. ''You just told me that you're not wearing a thong, which makes me more than curious to what you are wearing.''  
  
''I wasn't implying that.''  
  
''Well, that's what it sounded like,'' Tristan pointed out.  
  
Rory frowned, while crossing her arms. ''I was referring to one of your earlier innuendos and you know that.''  
  
''Do I?''  
  
''God, you're so frustrating!'' Rory cried out. ''How can you expect me to take you serious and even do you a favor when you keep doing this?!''  
  
''Doing what?'' Tristan innocently asked.  
  
''Making me feel like this!''  
  
Tristan grinned at her words. ''It's a gift. And that frustration you're feeling, it's actually the sexual tension between us.''  
  
''You know, I hope your grades get so bad that you'll have to drop out of school.''  
  
''Not if you help me,'' Tristan said, carefully implying his question in the short sentence.  
  
Rory uncrossed her arms and glared at him. ''You want me to help you from flunking out?''  
  
Tristan nodded, although he didn't like her choice of words.  
  
Rory shook her head. ''No.''  
  
''But it's your duty as a friend to keep me in school and by your side 24/7.''  
  
''No, you can't even be serious about this. How can I expect you to sit still for a couple of hours and actually focus on a subject, when you can't even be serious for more than half a second?'' Rory asked.  
  
''You're underestimating me.''  
  
''Get Paris to do it.''  
  
''But she's no fun,'' Tristan playfully whined.  
  
''Studying isn't supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be boring and meaningful and Paris is good at............. Well, she's good at making you work.''  
  
''Yeah, but I actually want someone to tutor me who I don't have to refer to as master,'' he said, pleading for Rory to give in with his eyes. ''Come on, Rory. I'm really serious about this. I do want to get my grades up.''  
  
Rory met Tristan's eyes and sighed. ''You promise to be serious? Cause if you're not going to be serious then I can't work with you. I'm a very serious person and I take studying very serious.''  
  
Tristan nodded. ''I promise.''  
  
Rory mimicked his movement. ''Okay. We'll work out a schedule on Monday.''  
  
''Actually, could we do that a little sooner, cause I have a test on Monday.''  
  
''Saturday works for me.''  
  
Tristan shook his head. ''Saturday's off limits, Tyler is throwing a pool- party, so.......''  
  
Rory sighed. ''That's your problem. You're always too busy doing other things to study. What about Sunday?''  
  
Tristan shook his head once more. ''I'm teaching Anna how to golf.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes at him. ''Then what do you suggest we do, Mr. Social?''  
  
''I was hoping we could hook up today, after school?''  
  
This time it was Rory's turn to shake her head. ''I can't.''  
  
''Can't you postpone your plans with your boyfriend? He seems like.........''  
  
''You are expecting me to drop all of my plans when I just asked you to do the same and you simply refused, because teaching some girl how to golf is more important than your grades?''  
  
A silence fell between them and Rory made it last longer than it usually did, simply because she refused to be the first one to talk this time.  
  
''Rory, I didn't mean it like that,'' Tristan started, carefully laying his eyes upon Rory's. ''You know I didn't mean it like that. I just........I'm not you. I don't usually tend to put studying before something else.''  
  
Rory nodded. ''I know.'' She looked at him a little longer before continuing. ''Today's fine. I just have dinner with my grandparents, so we won't be able to start until 8.''  
  
Tristan shook his head and covered his face with his hands. ''Now I don't know who's being more frustrating, you or me?''  
  
''I wasn't being frustrating, I was being artful,'' Rory said proudly, while she smiled at Tristan, who was looking at her through his fingers.  
  
He softly chuckled, while removing his hands from his face. ''Artful indeed.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
That night, Lorelai and Rory arrived home later than expected. Emily had been in one of her talking moods and had lost track of time, even though both Lorelai and Rory had kept reminding her about dinner. Of course Emily had blamed them for letting her go on and on about what must be frivolous topics in their eyes, to which Lorelai bit her lip and just nodded. The actual dinner had started a little later than its usual time and after desert both the Gilmore Girls had been glad to leave, because frankly they would rather have the normal Emily instead of the talkative one they had experienced tonight. Knowing all of this, they weren't surprised at all to find Tristan sitting on the first few steps of their porch, waiting.  
  
''Ah, Rory, look, a stray puppy,'' Lorelai said, while getting out of the car.  
  
Tristan got up and nodded at her. ''Lorelai.'' He looked over Lorelai's shoulder at Rory, who was hastily making her way towards him. ''I'm sorry you had to wait, but dinner ran late.''  
  
''Yeah, my mom was in one of her talking moods.''  
  
''Talking moods?'' Tristan asked, while raising an eyebrow and looking from Rory to Lorelai.  
  
''It happens rarely,'' Rory explained.  
  
Lorelai nodded. ''Yeah, normally she has all those boring DAR people to talk to. Or my dad, although he doesn't really listen, he just nods every now and then and hums. Something he learned from none other than, you guessed it, moi.''  
  
''And then of course I worked it out. I made a chart and calculated how long each pause must be between the humming and the nodding. You don't wanna do it too fast otherwise they'll notice,'' Rory added, smiling at the confusion that was apparent on Tristan's face.  
  
''Anyway,'' Lorelai continued. ''.....tonight my mom had a lot of energy left over, because her usual chatting session had been canceled, so she took it out on us. Before dinner and even during dinner, because she felt like she needed to explain the entire Chinese culture to us just because we were eating some Chinese speciality. And she made us use the chopsticks.''  
  
''And those didn't exactly speed things up.''  
  
''I honestly don't even get why they insist on using chopsticks, I mean one grain of rice per bite just doesn't cut it for me. And I tell you that it had to be one of my mother's plans. She probably sensed that we had to get home at a certain time,'' Lorelai said, while heading up the steps and reaching for her keys. ''I swear, the woman has a sixth sense or a third eye or something.''  
  
''My mom thinks that my grandmother's secretly a witch,'' Rory said to Tristan, before following her mother into the touch.  
  
''Why do you think we're not allowed to go into that room she always keeps locked?''  
  
''What room?''  
  
''The.....ah room next to the other one on the floor that's haunted.'' Lorelai answer, while taking her jacket off and reaching for the phone. ''Now, I'm going to order some pizza, cause the taste of those two grains of rice is killing me.''  
  
Rory smiled and took her jacket off, locking eyes with Tristan, who was openly staring at her and taking in her appearance.  
  
''What?'' Rory asked, slightly annoyed by the attention he was paying to her. Something he normally never did, not unless he was getting something out of it.  
  
A smirk elevated his jaw into a seductive curve, as he admired her evident features underneath the thin, pink fabric of her dress. ''You've been holding out on me.''  
  
''One word,'' Rory said, while awkwardly crossing her arms, not wanting to admit that she felt slightly pleased with his comment. ''Gutter.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
Tristan woke up to the sound of constant breathing and the feel of its warmth against his skin. It was a soothing sound, probably the reason why he had fallen asleep in the first place. He opened his eyes and looked at the face of the sleeping figure beside him. Her eyes were hidden beneath her hair which lay spread across her face and her mouth revealed the slightest crack of an opening.  
  
Tristan carefully wiped the strands of stray hair away from her face, letting his fingers linger a little longer than necessary, and just looked at her for a few silent seconds. He smiled at how she had placed her body deliberately into the crook of his, so she could be as warm as possible, since they were both lying on top of the blankets. He in the same clothes he had worn the entire day and she in a pair of baggy sweats and an oversized t-shirt he had bought for her at some concert.  
  
Tristan looked at his watch, trying to move as less as he could. When he saw what time it was, he knew that he had to get home. But when he moved over to the side of the bed a little, Rory mimicked his action and snuggled herself in the crook of his body once more. He smiled and looked at her, wondering if he should wake her up or not. Finally he brought his head closer to hers and softly kissed the tip of her nose, hoping that the sudden touch would wake her, which it did. Her eyelashes fluttered for a few seconds, as if they were struggling to stay closed, before she opened her eyes and looked at him.  
  
''Tristan......,'' she sleepily uttered, trying not to let her eyes close.  
  
''Hey, princess,'' he affectionally said, calling her by a nickname he hardly ever used.  
  
''Why did you wake me?'' Rory asked, while rubbing her eyes.  
  
''I wanted to thank you for helping me study.''  
  
A small smile escaped Rory's lips, as she lowered her eyes to the black cord he was wearing around his neck. It was the same cord she wore. She reached for the collar of his shirt and gently tugged it down, revealing the small silver charm that was attached to the cord. It was a small R. Rory smiled, as she let go of his collar and reached for her own necklace, lowering her hand until she felt the familiar shape of the T with her fingers. She remembered how he wanted to buy matching silver necklaces, but she had refused and said that that would be too expensive and how she didn't want him to pay for everything just because he could. And maybe that was what made her different from all the other girls Tristan knew. He was never sure if they liked him for him or for his appearance and money.  
  
''Any time,'' Rory finally answered, as she met his eyes again. ''But you could have just done that tomorrow, you know, instead of waking me up and making me all awake again, so I have to go through the whole getting asleep process.....again.''  
  
Tristan chuckled at her words. ''I wouldn't have woken you, but you wouldn't let me get out of this bed. If you would have just done that then I would have been able to just leave quietly, without waking you.''  
  
''You're leaving?'' Rory asked.  
  
Tristan nodded. ''Yeah, I have to get home before my parents find out. See, last time I stayed over at a girl's place, her parents found us the next morning and called my parents.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and turned around so she was lying on her back. ''I don't even wanna know.''  
  
''I can tell you that it wasn't as pleasant as this, although we could always find ways to make it even more pleasant,'' Tristan said, while bringing his lips up to her ear. ''For the both of us.''  
  
Rory managed a small smile, as his lips grazed her ear. She closed her eyes and turned her head a little, so it was resting against his chest. She thought about how lucky she was to have a friend like him, although he did force her towards the edge at least once a day. But she had accepted that as one of the most complicated and frustrating parts of their friendship, but at the end of the day she knew that she could trust and rely on him, which was what made her smile.  
  
''Don't go?'' she asked, while opening her eyes.  
  
Tristan lowered his eyes down to her with a smirk. ''Mary, Mary, if only you knew how many times I have imagined you saying that in my head.''  
  
''I changed my mind,'' Rory said.  
  
''Afraid of what will happen if I don't?''  
  
''More like disgusted,'' Rory said, before sticking out her tongue.  
  
''Mature,'' was his response, as he got up and collected the few books he had brought. When he turned around, Rory had already closed her eyes. And with one last look in her direction, he left the room.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please? :-) So, this was just the prologue, because I need to start the story off somewhere. I'm not sure if Tristan was in character, but I don't think I can keep him in character anyway for the plot of this story. Hope ya'll keep reading, even when I change the rating to PG13, which won't happen for another couple of chapters. Lemme know if it was horrible or if I might have a chance of continuing. *Updates will be as frequent as possible!* Thanks! :-) 


	2. Like a game of tug o' war

Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
A/N: Hey :-) It's been a while, but I was lacking in time, which is why this chapter turned out the way it did. Just read and you'll know what I'm talking about. :-)  
  
Bye, smile :-)  
  
-x-x-x-  
  
Lorelai and Rory were sitting at a table in front of the window, at Luke's. Rory was staring out of it, although her eyes weren't fixed upon anything in particular. She was just watching time fly by, it's sometimes wasteful, but precious seconds, fading into the morning breeze. Her fingers were tapping against the coffee cup she held between her hands, as if she was silently counting the seconds that were passing. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see her mother's mouth moving and though she could hear the words, she didn't know what she was saying. It was as if her mind hadn't gotten out off it's morning daze yet.  
  
Her mind was still filled with hazy memories. Memories that brought a smile to her face, because they were daily ones and seemed frivolous compared to other, more important, memories, but that's what made them so cherishable. They were one of life's simple satisfactions. Something small that could cheer her up when her day was clouded by frustrations or glazed over with disappointment or sadness. No matter how infuriating Tristan could be and no matter how easily he could get underneath her skin, he was also the person whom she considered one of her only friends at Chilton. Someone she felt comfortable around and trusted enough, to fall asleep next to.  
  
Lately that hadn't happened often, when before, it would happen at least once a week. But they each had their separate friends and unfortunately for her, Tristan would spend a great deal of his week with them or with two or three lucky girls who he had finally given a chance. At least he didn't think of her like that. At least he respected her more than that. And at least none of those girls had ever woken up next to him smiling, just because he was there. None of them had ever been lulled to sleep by the sound of his rapid breathing. Or so she hoped, for Tristan didn't share everything with her. He wasn't as open as he seemed when you first looked at him.  
  
Rory lowered her eyes to her coffee, the worry lines in her forehead deepening at the same time. She knew that Tristan probably slept with every girl he went out with, which didn't bother her as much as she thought it would, although it did hurt to know that Tristan had been more intimate with someone else. On the other hand, it depended on what you found more intimate, sex or just falling asleep next to each other, covered and comforted by each other's body warmth. It was a safe feeling. A feeling she never wanted to share with another girl. She admitted to being jealous of just that thought, but she wanted their special bond to remain. Otherwise she wouldn't wake up with a smile anymore.  
  
Rory smiled at her own thoughts, which her mother caught.  
  
''Being tickled by an inner joke again?''  
  
Rory lifted her head, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, so she could look at her mom. ''Tickled by an inner joke?''  
  
Lorelai nodded. ''Yeah, kinda feels like butterflies.......tickling you?''  
  
Rory laughed at the face which accompanied her mom's words. ''No butterflies, just had some funny thoughts.''  
  
''Dirty,'' Lorelai said, although her face remained serious this time. Rory chuckled at the sudden change in her mom's behavior.  
  
''Speaking of dirty,'' Lorelai continued. ''Did anything remotely dirty happen?''  
  
''What do you mean?'' Rory asked, while bringing her cup of coffee up to her mouth.  
  
Lorelai shrugged and casually took a sip from her own coffee, before looking at her daughter again, hoping that she would realize on her own what she was referring to. When Rory didn't, Lorelai let out a sigh and put down her cup. ''I know Tristan left the house Friday, when it was already passed midnight, and I mean way passed. I think the birds were almost waking up.''  
  
''He didn't stay passed midnight. And I'm pretty sure that the birds were still asleep.''  
  
Lorelai narrowed her eyes briefly at her daughter's attempt of a lie. She had hoped that Rory would tell her on her own that Tristan had stayed over longer than planned, but she didn't. And Lorelai was slightly disappointed at the fact that she felt like she needed to lie about something this small. Or at least Lorelai hoped that it was small.  
  
''Then whom's car was it that practically sneaked out of our driveway?''  
  
''Luke's,'' Rory answered quickly, already knowing that she would have to let go of this facade sooner than later.  
  
''Luke's?'' her mom asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Rory nodded. ''Yeah. I mean, he isn't really an open guy, he may have a fetish we don't know off.''  
  
''Okay, first of all, I'm going to ask Luke that later and if that's the case then we're getting Kirk to guard over our driveway at night and second of all, I don't think Luke's car is capable of sneaking. His car reminds me of a dozen chainsaws when they're hacking down those trees in the rainforest, even though they really shouldn't. I have grown kinda fond of breathing.''  
  
Rory smiled. ''We could grow our own little forest of bonsai trees, that way we would be able to keep breathing.''  
  
''Yeah, and we could even grow an extra forest so we could sell it to the rest of Stars Hollow, cause we don't want them to die. And we'll earn a lot of extra money, so we can go shopping, of course we would have to wear those snorkel masks so we don't die while shopping, although it would be a good way to go,'' Lorelai rambled on.  
  
''I agree, but we have to give Tristan at least one of those trees too, cause we don't want him to die......'' Rory stopped when it was already too late.  
  
''You tricked me into sidetracking, didn't you?''  
  
Rory nodded, a movement, which Lorelai soon mimicked. ''So, are you going to tell me why you lied to me about Tristan staying late?''  
  
Rory sighed and lowered her eyes down to her coffee, which had now become too cold to drink. ''I don't know. I thought that maybe you would get mad or something.''  
  
''And lose my cool mom certificate?'' Lorelai shook her head. ''I'm not mad. I know that sometimes study dates tend to run really late and you get so tired that you just fall asleep. I have watched enough teen movies to know that, of course they don't usually just sleep when that happens, but............''  
  
''Mom!'' Rory said. ''That would never happen. Tristan and I are friends. Besides, he has a handful of other girls to do that with.''  
  
Lorelai stretched the pause between them a little longer, so she could study her daughter's expression, wondering if she had imagined the jealous tone in her voice when she had said that last sentence.  
  
''I know, sweetie, but you can't blame me for worrying. I mean, aren't you too a little too old to still do that?''  
  
''We did nothing except fall asleep during studying. Tristan didn't do anything, I didn't do anything. He left as soon as he realized what had happened. Nothing happened,'' Rory finished.  
  
''Do you swear?''  
  
Rory nodded. ''I swear on our imaginary pretty stick.''  
  
''You are so brave to risk our pretty stick, but it's not good enough.''  
  
''Then what were you thinking about?'' Rory asked.  
  
Lorelai held out her hand. ''How about a pinky swear?''  
  
Rory smiled and reached out her hand to link pinkies with her mother. ''Pinky swear.''  
  
-x-x-x-  
  
''I'm late, I'm late,'' Rory mumbled under her breath, while she swiftly moved passed and sometimes even through groups, not caring about the glares that were being thrown in her direction, to get to her locker, so she would still have a few minutes to spare before the bell would ring.  
  
Unfortunately for her, the other students didn't seem to care, for they were blocking her path wherever they could and she blamed them for reaching her locker expressing nothing but frustration. Luckily, there was no group huddled in front of her locker, they had all moved on locker to the left, which she was grateful for.  
  
She quickly dropped her bag to the floor and opened her locker, blocking the gazes that had been directed at her earlier. She shook her head, not understanding why people, mainly Tristan's friends, had to stare at her when she passed them or entered the room. They didn't seem to accept her as Tristan's friend, simply because she wasn't popular and didn't want to be. While she kept rummaging through her locker, she felt someone move up beside her. Her eyes briefly moved to the right. Tristan caught her gaze with his and smirked.  
  
''You're late.''  
  
Rory nodded and returned her gaze to her locker. ''I know.''  
  
''Care to elaborate?''  
  
''Why?'' Rory asked, meeting his eyes again. ''Don't you have friends to entertain or something?''  
  
Tristan shrugged. ''I'm trying to detach myself from them a little. They have to realize that I won't always be there.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes.  
  
''So, why were you late?''  
  
Now Rory shrugged. ''Because of a pinky swear/fetish thing with my mom.''  
  
''Aren't you a little young to be saying things like that?''  
  
Rory shook her head and closed her locker. ''Is your mind programmed to think about that 24/7?''  
  
''Well, to be honest, it wasn't, until I saw your uniform. It's kinda turning me on,'' Tristan said, while letting his eyes linger a little too long on Rory's figure, just for the effect.  
  
Rory crossed her arms and glared at him. ''I think my mom was right to worry''  
  
''Worry about what?''  
  
''That it's not safe to be around you,'' Rory answered.  
  
Tristan shot her a curious look. ''Those were her words?''  
  
Rory nodded. ''Yeah, she heard you leave Friday night.''  
  
''So?'' Tristan asked, while shrugging. ''It has happened before. Doesn't she trust me..... Well, obviously not, since she said that it wasn't safe to be around me.'' He leaned back against a locker and ran a hand through his hair. One Rory caught with her own when he lowered it back down.  
  
''Hey, I was kidding. She never said that,'' Rory assured him. ''She just said that maybe we were too old to still let that happen, you know?''  
  
Tristan laced his fingers through hers and pulled her a little closer. ''And what do you think? Should we set an alarm clock every time we're studying, to make sure that it won't happen again?''  
  
Rory bit her lip, while meeting his eyes, which were intently fixed on hers. She smiled at his seriousness, before shaking her head. ''No. We did nothing wrong. And I'm dramatizing all this, I'm sorry.''  
  
Tristan raised an eyebrow, while a sly smirk appeared on his face. ''I don't think you're dramatizing. After all.....'' He paused long enough to slip his hands around her waist and skillfully turn around, so that now she was the one with her back against the locker. ''.....it isn't safe to be around me.''  
  
Rory placed a hand against his chest. ''God, is this what you do with your girlfriends. Smash them against a locker?''  
  
''Basically.''  
  
Rory softly laughed at his careless tone, although it was also a way to camouflage the nervousness which had taken over her without warning. And she laughed, because when she did this she would become less aware of the proximity of his body, as it leaned towards her own with a certain litheness. A litheness which she also found a little intimidating by that same closeness.  
  
''Of all the lockers, you had to choose mine?''  
  
Rory glanced over Tristan's shoulder at Paris, relieved at the distraction and the way out it was giving her. ''I'm sorry, Paris. Tristan was......''  
  
Paris raised both of her hands. ''Excuse me if I'm not interested in what angle would be more satisfying for the both of you.''  
  
''Obviously the angle your locker's at,'' Tristan said, causing Paris to glare at him.  
  
Meanwhile, Rory was able to create some more distance between herself and Tristan, by gently pushing him away from her, something he didn't seem to mind, because he let go of her waist and turned around to face Paris.  
  
''Lighten up, Gellar. It might help you get a boyfriend for a change,'' Tristan said, while slipping his hands into his pockets and smirking at Paris. ''And the glaring thing isn't doing anything for you either,'' he finished, before turning around and heading off to one of his friends, who had been waiting for him, leaving Paris to rant about how big of a jerk her was and Rory to listen.  
  
''Hey Matt,'' Tristan said.  
  
Matt nodded. ''So, you finally nailed her?''  
  
Tristan wasn't surprised at his blunt way of putting things. That was the way he had known Matt for several years now. Most of the time he was crude and had a big mouth, but he was also a loyal friend. One that would always have his back and that was what counted for Tristan right now.  
  
''Nailed who?''  
  
''Rory,'' Matt said, while pushing himself off the locker, joining Tristan's pace as they headed for their first class.  
  
Tristan shook his head. ''Nah, man, she and I are friends.''  
  
''Just friends?'' Matt asked skeptically.  
  
''Nothing more, nothing less,'' Tristan said halfheartedly, before entering a classroom.  
  
Matt followed a little slower. He let his gaze wander over to Rory first.....  
  
-x-x-x-  
  
Tristan pushed passed a couple of people, while adjusting the strap of his backpack by awkwardly pulling at it. The backpack hung lower than usual, because of the extra weight it was carrying, because of the extra books he had quickly stuffed in there right before he had closed his locker. During today's test he had truly felt as if he had actually known something about the subject he was being tested on and it had given him more sureness throughout the test. He had handed in his sheet with a confident smile for once, instead of the bored one he usually wore during events like that. The late night studying he had done with Rory had seemed to pay off and he felt that he should thank her for the time she had spent on him. He knew that she would appreciate it.  
  
Tristan smiled when he saw her sitting at her usual spot, sitting on a medium height wall, waiting for her bus. Usually she would be occupied by either a thick novel or a piece of literature, where every word sounded like gibberish to him, but today she wasn't holding a book in her hand and she wasn't carrying that serious expression that usually accompanied it. Instead she was wearing an amused smile and her eyes were glistening lively at the words that were being spoken to her by a person he knew all too well.  
  
He narrowed his eyes slightly at the sight, but forced a small smile on his face as he walked over to them.  
  
''Hey, Matt,'' he said, as he met his friend's gaze, not fully trusting his intentions, since he had never exchanged more than two or three words with Rory before.  
  
''Hey, man,'' Matt responded, holding Tristan's gaze a few seconds longer, before he jumped off the wall and turned to face Rory. ''I should go. I have to get home and do......homework.''  
  
Rory nodded. ''It was nice talking to you.''  
  
Matt smiled and met Tristan's eyes once more, before turning around and walking off.  
  
''So,'' Tristan started, while taking Matt's spot on the wall.  
  
''We were just talking,'' Rory said, while clasping her hands together in her lap, wondering why she felt guilty about such a small thing, when Tristan had the opportunity to do much more than that with a girl practically every night, if he wanted.  
  
Tristan didn't look at her, but fixed his eyes on a spot directly in front of him instead. ''Don't believe a word he says.''  
  
''Why? Is he too much like you?'' Rory playfully asked.  
  
Tristan snorted. ''More than too much. He has a way with words that will leave every girl speechless.''  
  
''I like charming guys,'' she said, while thinking of Dean and how sweet he could be with words sometimes.  
  
''Trust me, you won't be impressed.''  
  
''Well, I don't have to be impressed. I already have a boyfriend,'' Rory softly said.  
  
Tristan snorted once more. ''Right, a boyfriend that doesn't even have the decency to pick you up from school and forces you to take the bus.''  
  
Rory gave him a gentle shove. ''It would be ridiculous to expect him to do so.''  
  
''And yet I'm willing to do so every day. Well, almost, unless I have a hot date and all.''  
  
''Is that your gallant way of offering me a ride home?'' she asked.  
  
''Basically,'' Tristan said. ''Even though it's out of my way and all.''  
  
Rory gave him another shove, before getting off the wall, pulling her bag with her. ''You offered. You shouldn't if you don't really want to. And I don't wanna be a burden to you. I can take the bus if you want.''  
  
Tristan met her clear, blue eyes, already knowing that he would never say no to her. He wasn't good at saying no to her, especially not when she looked at him like she was doing right now, with an innocent yet teasing gleam to her eyes and an innocent pout, which he found irresistible, every time. So, he sighed and jumped off the wall too.  
  
''I think that my car might be just a tad more comfortable than the bus you always speak so highly of.''  
  
Rory smiled and they started to head for his car.  
  
''So, do you like him?'' Tristan asked, referring to Matt.  
  
''As much as I like you,'' Rory shot back, which earned her a glare from Tristan. But when he thought she wasn't looking, he briefly smirked.  
  
-x-x-x-  
  
''Do you wanna come in?'' Rory asked, while she lifted her bag onto her lap.  
  
Tristan shook his head. ''I can't. I've got a date in a couple of hours.''  
  
''Oh.''  
  
Rory lowered her eyes onto her bag and started to fidget with the shoulder straps, wondering why she felt such envy towards the girls Tristan was going to spend time with instead of her. She knew that she was being selfish. After all, they were friends who occasionally hung out, occasionally ate lunch together and occasionally had those flirtatious and playful moments between them. Moments which Rory feared, because she hadn't discovered yet for herself if it was more than teasing or not. And she had to be careful about letting her feelings evolve passed just teasing, because she knew that Tristan was unreachable for her. She wasn't his type. She might be his type of friend, but she wasn't his type of girlfriend.  
  
Tristan glanced at her and smiled when he saw her pulling at invisible threads on her bag. ''Yeah, I still have an hour of homework to do, before my date.'' He tried to pinpoint her reaction, but all he was able to witness was the smile that appeared on her face. Her eyes remained hidden beneath her lashes.  
  
''Good.''  
  
''Thanks for helping me study, Friday and Sunday,'' he quickly added.  
  
Rory nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. ''No problem. I just hope you aced the test.''  
  
''I'm having a good feeling about it,'' Tristan said, while fixing his gaze on the house in front of him. A movement Rory soon followed.  
  
''I better go. You have studying to do and a date to prepare for.''  
  
She mumbled a goodbye, before getting out of the car and heading over to the door. Tristan waited until she had disappeared inside, before backing out of the driveway.  
  
-x-x-x-  
  
Rory's pencil stopped moving, when the sound of the doorbell distracted her. With a quick look at the clock, she threw down her pencil and got up.  
  
''I'm coming!'' she yelled, as she hurried over to the door, wondering who it was. She didn't like to keep people waiting. When she opened the door a worried look took over her features. ''Dean. Hey, come in.''  
  
After Dean had entered the house, she closed the door and turned to look at him, shoving her hands in her pockets at the same time. ''We didn't have a date or anything, right? Cause if we did, I'm sorry I forgot, I was just studying and I lost track of time and.....''  
  
''No, no date.''  
  
Rory let out a silent sigh of relief. ''Then, why are you here? I mean, not that I don't want you here, but normally we make plans or you call.''  
  
''I just wanted to see if you got home alright.''  
  
''Of course.........'' Suddenly realization hit her. ''You waited for me at the bus stop, didn't you?''  
  
Dean nodded. ''I even brought coffee.''  
  
''You brought coffee?''  
  
''Yeah, I threw it out though, it got cold and all. And I know you hate cold coffee, so.....''  
  
''I do, I do hate cold coffee,'' Rory said with a weak smile. ''I'm sorry. I didn't know that today was one of those days.''  
  
Dean shrugged. ''You never know when it's one of those days. It was a spontaneous thing.''  
  
''I'm sorry. I'll take the bus home every day from now on.''  
  
''You didn't take the bus home?''  
  
''No, Tristan drove me,'' she answered.  
  
''Tristan,'' Dean repeated, making Rory regret her earlier words. She knew that Dean didn't like Tristan. He had trouble believing that Tristan just wanted to be friends with her, while she had no trouble believing that at all. After all, if he liked her he wouldn't go out with a different girl every week.  
  
''Is he here?''  
  
''No, he had a date, so he had to get home and groom.''  
  
''Groom?'' Dean asked, while raising an eyebrow. ''Isn't that something you do with dogs?''  
  
''Well, I never said that Tristan wasn't one.''  
  
Dean cracked a smile. ''I better go, I was worried.''  
  
''I appreciate your worrying,'' Rory said, while moving closer towards him. She stood on her tip toes and placed her lips against Dean's, which he immediately responded to, by placing one hand on the lower half of her back and bringing her even closer. When they parted, he threw her a kind smile.  
  
''I'll see you tomorrow.''  
  
Rory nodded and returned his gesture, while she watched him leave. When he closed the door behind him, she reached for her lips with her fingers, her smile widening. She might not be sure if Tristan liked her or not, but she was sure that Dean liked her. Loved her even. It could be seen in his eyes every time he looked at her and in his small and intimate smiles. But still Rory wondered how Tristan's affection towards her could be defined. Was it just as intimate? How would he describe their friendship? Without thinking about what she was doing, she reached for the phone and dialled his number. After three rings someone answered.  
  
''Hello?'' asked girl, whom's voice Rory didn't recognize.  
  
''Uhm, is Tristan there?''  
  
The girl on the other end of the line giggled, before answering. ''He's kinda busy right now. I'm sure he'll call you back later.''  
  
Then the line went dead. Rory hung up and sat back down on the couch, staring at her books. She doubted that Tristan was studying.  
  
-x-x-x-  
  
REVIEW! Please? :-) So, this chapter was.....uhm, well, bad. I apologize for that. Basically I just had to put Matt's character in the story, since he will be playing a larger role in the next chapters, I think..... And I wanted to show you another side of Tristan and Rory's relationship and, of course, bring in Dean. So, I hope that all worked and nailed the certain tension between Tristan and Rory. Personally, I think that this chapter was pure crap and I thank y'all who still had the courage to read this. Now I'm disappointed..... Guess, I'll have to prove that not everything I write is horrible in the next chapter, huh? So, thanks for reading this gibberish. :- ) 


	3. Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

A/N: Yeah, it has been a while, but I was lacking time and inspiration for this particular fic. Plus, I honestly think that my writing is really bad in this one, but I decided against deleting it because I would have probably regretted that later. _Of course, a big thanks to Alexia! _:-)

* * *

Friends

Rory's stomach was tied in knots as she headed for her locker and with every step she took, the knots tightened even more, her emotions tugging at them from every corner, making breathing harder for her than usual. She could hear her own heartbeat, even though she wasn't even trying to hear it, but she was aware of it as she came closer and closer to her locker. Her footsteps became louder as she approached it, the thuds going at the same pace as her pulse. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see him leaning against a locker that wasn't hers. It belonged to the girl that had pressed herself up against him and was giggling at every word that left his lips while her eyes kept a close watch on them.

Rory averted her eyes at this sight, just as he looked up at her. She passed without acknowledging him, her pace speeding up even more, while the pace of her heartbeat slowed down and returned to normal. She wasn't nervous anymore, just slightly disappointed, although she didn't know why that scene had affected her when she was used to him spending his time with girls. How could he neglect them when they were like bees, swarming around him all day long like he was the honey that they so desperately wanted. It was kind of ironic because honey was always sweet and that was one thing he hardly ever was towards all those girls. Instead, he was seductive and mischievous. He played games with them, just like he did with her, only with her, she knew that it was all indeed just a game when with those other girls, truth could always be lurking.

Of course, she was one of the only ones that got to steal a glance at his other side every now and then - at his sweetness that was hidden beneath all of those other layers to his personality. It slipped out when they were alone mostly, but sometimes, on rare occasions, it slipped out in public and when that happened, Rory always found herself wondering if they all saw him like she did. Indubitably, she had a boyfriend, but he and Tristan were two different people whom she couldn't compare with one another. Maybe because she might be surprised by the outcome...

Rory opened her locker, her mind working overtime to process all of the thoughts that were going through it at the moment, as she grabbed the book she needed. She aimlessly rearranged some books to kill some more seconds before closing it. A gasp escaped her lips as she was confronted by his figure, leaning sideways against the locker next to hers.

''Tristan.''

''Told you I would leave you breathless one of these days,'' he replied swiftly, instantly slipping back into his expected role as his eyes shone, curious about her reply.

Rory grabbed the book she was holding with two hands and awkwardly pressed it to her chest, not knowing what else to do with it. ''How was your date?''

His eyes lost their amused shine at her question, surprised that she chose not to acknowledge his remark. ''It was fine.'' He tilted his body somewhat so that now his back was against the locker. ''Why so interested?''

Rory shrugged. ''Just being friendly.''

''And here I thought you were actually interested in me.''

''Well, I'm not,'' Rory mumbled, more to herself than him, even though he did hear it.

Both remained silent, unsure of what her words had meant. Tristan tried to think of something that he could have done to hurt her and Rory knew what he was doing by the way he was frowning and blankly staring at the floor. Guilt started to pry itself into her mind as she watched him blame himself. Even when the bell rang he didn't look up.

''Tris,'' she said, her tone soft, hoping that he would just forget about what she said.

He brought his head up a little and looked at her, his eyes shaded from hers by his golden locks.

''I have to get to class. I'll see you later, okay?''

Tristan nodded and watched as she walked away. He couldn't come up with a reason why he had taken her words so seriously and the only reason that he had come up with was just one of his wistful thoughts. With a sigh, he pushed himself away from the locker and headed for class.

-x-x-x-

''Sorry,'' Rory murmured, aimlessly directing it at whomever she would bump into next, although most people just took a step aside so she could pass, knowing that she wouldn't be paying attention to anything but the book in her hands.

''You have eyes, you know.''

''Right now they're preoccupied,'' Rory replied, not having to look up to know that it was Paris.

''I never thought that this was a library, they did a pretty good job on hiding all of the books,'' Paris continued, causing for Rory to roll her eyes and look up at her.

''What do you want, Paris?''

She shrugged. ''Nothing. It's just... are you sure that you're heading in this direction?''

Rory frowned. ''What's wrong with this direction?''

''Well, nothing, but I was wondering if you wouldn't want to eat with me instead.''

Rory chuckled. ''Paris, you always eat lunch with Madeline and Louise who are your friends, something that we aren't so...''

''I was hoping we could... Oh, screw this. Your table is already taken.''

''My table?'' Rory asked.

''That's what your would mean.''

''But I always sit there and people know that I always sit there so why break that beautiful habit?'' she asked.

Paris hesitantly moved aside to give Rory a clear view of the table she usually sat at. Across from where she normally sat reading, Tristan and a girl, the same girl who had been clinging to him all day, were sitting.

''I think he wanted some privacy,'' Paris said as she followed Rory's gaze.

''Why my table?''

Paris looked at the brown haired girl. ''You can sit with us if you want.''

Rory shook her head. ''No, that's okay. I'm just going to go and find that library you were talking about.''

''Are you sure?''

''Yeah, I'll see you in class.''

Rory turned around and left the cafeteria, her mind confused and her emotions frustrated. She didn't comprehend why Tristan had chosen the only place where she could be alone to spend his lunch break with his new girlfriend and she also didn't comprehend why she cared.

-x-x-x-

Rory kept fumbling with her necklace as she wandered through the halls, not having a direction in mind. She had been aimlessly walking through these halls ever since she left the cafeteria. She had never planned on going to the library. Her lunch break was simply too short for that and she had just wanted to get out of there. She needed to think about why she had reacted like she did.

As she passed the janitor's closet, she stopped playing with her necklace and wrapped her hands around the strap of her bag instead, clutching it tightly as she tried to make some sense of her thoughts. She tried to figure out when she started to care or when she had started to feel envious towards all these other girls in his life - envious of every sly smirk and flirtatious comment directed at them. It was as if she had just truly woken up from the haze she had been in; she had finally opened her eyes completely to notice all those girls asking for his attention - for attention that would normally be directed at her.

Rory sighed. She didn't even know why she was fussing about it so badly. After all, the only relationship she had with Tristan was friendship, although the boundaries got blurred often. She wished that she could just go back to not caring, although that was much more easier said than done.

When she had already passed the janitor's closet she could hear its door open, but she didn't acknowledge it, figuring that it was just the janitor, but when she was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled into the closet herself, she knew that she had been wrong. As soon as the door closed behind them, she was backed up against a wall. Her eyes looked at the Chilton blazer in front of her while she grasped for some recognition. Once she felt the wall against her back, two arms slid down to her hips only to come to a rest there.

''We have to talk.''

Rory's eyes flew up, quickly adjusting themselves to the darkness as they did before landing on an all too familiar face.

''Tristan,'' she said before giving him a light push for scaring her. ''Talk about what? God...what was wrong with the hallway?''

Tristan's eyes followed her precise movements as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. ''We needed some privacy.''

''Do the walls have ears now? Or maybe the hall's just crowded with invisible people?''

His bottom lip was the first to curl into a semi-circle, his upper lip placing itself into the crook soon after. ''It's just a precaution.''

''So no one will know that we can talk?'' Rory asked, smiling sweetly.

''So no one will know what we talk about.''

''Fine, talk.''

''Where were you during lunch?'' he asked.

''In the hallway obviously,'' Rory playfully answered.

''Why weren't you at the cafeteria?''

Rory rolled her eyes. ''I thought all the invisible people could use some company. Can I go now because I'm really not comfortable,'' she said as she took a step away from the wall, trying to find a crack she could sneak through.

''What's wrong?''

''Nothing, I just don't feel like hanging out in a dark space with a lot of brooms.''

''You're avoiding me,'' Tristan accused as he moved even closer, forcing her to back herself up against the wall again because of how he was leaning over her, his every breath colliding with her skin.

Rory averted her eyes from his, not feeling comfortable with how serious his gaze stood as he searched for an answer. ''I'm here, aren't I?''

''Not by choice.''

''I think the whole dragging part made that crystal clear,'' she remarked, her eyes still fixed on a familiar shape in the darkness, even though she couldn't quite recognize it. There was a brief silence between them before she sighed and gave him. ''I called you last night. Some girl answered the phone.'' She brought her eyes back to his.

''Why did you call?''

Rory shrugged. ''I was bored.''

''Then what was the point of that phone call when it could have waited?''

Rory crossed her arms. ''There was no point. I was just bored and I needed someone to talk to, but obviously you were too busy. You're always too busy with other people.''

''That's not fair,'' Tristan breathed.

Rory nodded before lowering her head a little. ''I know and I'm sorry.''

''You could have called Dean,'' he gently pointed out.

''Yeah, but that's different. He and I are dating so the conversation is hardly ever casual and with you it is because...''

''We're friends,'' Tristan finished, unconsciously tightening his grip on her hips just a little.

Rory smiled as she looked up at him. ''Yeah. I mean, you expect nothing from me.'' She paused, running her eyes over his face as she did this, taking all of its features in just like someone would take in a breath of fresh air. ''I should go before someone sees us.''

''Why? Would that be bad?''

Rory shook her head. ''No, but I don't wanna be one of those girls.''

''Believe me, princess, you're not,'' were his last delicate words before he let go of her and let her leave. He waited for a few more seconds before departing from the janitor's closet himself.

He closed the door behind him and turned around, locking eyes with Matt almost instantly.

''And here I thought you weren't in to her?''

Tristan shook his head while his hands found his pockets. ''I'm not.''

Matt raised an eyebrow. ''Did I not see her come out of that closet? The same closet you just came out of?''

Tristan shrugged. ''All we did was talk.''

''So, what you're telling me is that you were alone, in there...'' Matt gestured towards the janitor's closet. ''...with Rory Gilmore and all you two did was talk?''

''Yeah. Yeah, we did.''

Matt's eyes started to gleam mischievously. ''She's your weakness.''

''Get your head out of the clouds, man,'' Tristan lamely tried, uncomfortable with where Matt was taking it.

''Well, she obviously is. Otherwise you would have never remained just friends with a girl for so long without fu....''

''Where are you going with this, Matt?''

Matt grinned. ''Tristan DuGrey caught in the janitor's closet with Rory Gilmore, but leaves it empty handed. I know a friend at the school newspaper. You think he would write a story to fit that headline?'' He glanced over at Tristan before continuing. ''Or we can turn this into one of our little games.''

''I don't have to prove anything to you.''

''You will once that article is printed. Think of how you will let all of those poor Chiltonites down. They will lose all of their faith in you, especially all of those losers who look up to you.''

''Aren't you one of them?'' Tristan artfully countered with a straight face, letting no emotion slip out.

''Watch it or Rory will lose her innocent to me instead of you.''

''What are you talking about?''

''Her virginity,'' Matt said. ''Either you take it or I will. You know I can. I have done it before. Of course, some of them needed a little something to drink first, but...''

''Rory's smarter than that,'' Tristan interrupted.

''Are you sure? Because she does have this image of me that I'm this nice guy. Nice, can you believe it?''

''She has a boyfriend.''

Matt shrugged. ''A lot of the other ones did, too.''

''What makes you think that I would care if you print that article or not?'' Tristan asked, trying to remain calm.

''Because at home you have no power and your entire life is controlled by your parents. It's the same with me. Besides, you wouldn't want me to taint your best friend, now would you?''Matt asked with a sly smirk.

''You are scum,'' Tristan weakly offered.

Matt shrugged. ''Just looking for some entertainment. That, and I'm kinda sick of how you and Rory are always dancing around each other without actually doing anything. I mean, you get to treat all of these other girls like dirt, not that there's anything wrong with that, and she doesn't care because it doesn't affect her or your friendship, however that ship has sailed.''

Tristan clenched his fists. ''I thought we were friends.''

''We are friends, friends who play games every now and then and fight over girls. You know, it's easier for you to get intimate with her, she already trusts you.''

''No,'' Tristan firmly stated.

''Suit yourself. You know I haven't been doing well in English lately, maybe Rory could tutor me...'' Matt trailed off as he caught Tristan's expression.

''Okay.'' Tristan cracked because he would rather hurt Rory himself then let Matt or any of his friends get their claws into her; it would hurt even more if she would find out that he had known about all of it, but had just stood on the sidelines, waiting for her to break so he could pick up the pieces. Maybe, if he took his time he could make her fall in love with him. Anything was better than to just sit back and watch, even though he didn't know what he was getting himself into.

* * *

REVIEW! Please? :-) Hope it wasn't too bad. I'll try to update asap. Thanks for your patience and reviews and I hope that people are still interested. Try to understand why Tristan just did what he did. :-)


	4. Disguised as a Prince

Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

A/N: Hey :-) Obviously this update was quicker than my last one because I've rediscovered my interest for this particular story, even though it isn't that original or well written. Anyway, I hope you'll at least enjoy it and please read the A/N at the bottom. _Once again I have to thank Alexia for taking the time to go through my chapters. _:-)

* * *

Disguised as a Prince

Rory was sitting at her usual table in the cafeteria. She had reclaimed it easily enough by placing her tray on the cold surface and by dumping her bag on the chair next to hers as she had sat down, her newest novel ready in hand, although her spot had been empty for a couple of days now which proved that it was a spot that hardly anyone noticed. With a satisfied smile, she opened her book to the page she had left off and started to run her eyes rapidly over the lines, wanting to get through as many pages as possible before her classes would start again.

She reached for the small bag of chips that lay waiting for her and clumsily opened it with one hand. As she put a chip in her mouth and started to chew, her concentration started to falter. Not because of her chewing, but because of the rackety surroundings. All around her people were chattering, discussing their plans for the upcoming weekend which would start in a few hours. Rory went through this same feeling of irritation every Friday, not understanding why one's social life couldn't wait for a little while longer. With a sigh, she turned the page, trying to block out the noise as best as she could, unaware of a pair of eyes that were carefully observing her as they came closer and closer to their object of interest.

Tristan's eyes swept from her jaw line up to her cheeks and to her thick lashes which were shading those mesmerizing eyes of hers. He always called them bedroom eyes because of how seductive they could seem every time they were gleaming with unknown secrets and enigmatic emotions as her lips would crack into half a smile. They left him in awe every time she took the time to look at him. Her eyes were indeed the windows to her soul, although she could close the curtains whenever she chose to.

He had tried to avoid her for the last two days and when their paths did cross, he acted as normal as he could towards her. He talked about frivolous things in her presence because if he would give himself a chance to think, his secret would surely spill out into the open and he couldn't let that happen, otherwise, Matt would step into the picture. Matt had been willing to give him all the time he needed so he could do things his own way and at his own pace, but there was indeed a price to pay for his generosity. Tristan could do it; however, he wanted just as long as he delivered the proof in the end, the pictures. He had decided to get this over with as soon as possible because he needed the time to patch things up with Rory and to recover from the bruises his guilt would leave him with.

When he reached her table, he dumped his bag on the floor and sat down across from her, immediately reaching for the bag of chips just to have something to do with his hands. Rory glanced at him as he did this, wondering why he could never seem to get his own lunch.

''How come you always come here when you're hungry?''

Tristan shrugged while crushing the chip with his teeth. ''I just like chips.''

''Then why don't you just get some of your own?''

''Because you obviously still need to learn how to share,'' Tristan answered as he reached for the bag once more.

Rory's response was a simple roll of her eyes before going back to her book. A silence fell without them noticing and it lasted for quite a long time, giving Tristan the opportunity to construct a plan. When he had run it passed himself a few times, he set the shame that he was feeling aside, although he would be confronted with it soon enough.

''So, Mary, got any hot dates planned for tonight?''

''I think that would be you,'' Rory easily shot back.

''Well, you're wrong.''

''Excuse me?'' she asked, her eyes curiously lifting themselves from her book.

''I don't have a date for tonight.''

''I knew hell would freeze over sooner or later,'' Rory mumbled.

''Well, hell's a lonely place.''

Rory wanted to comment on his remark, but decided against it when she heard the sadness that was lurking between the cracks of the wall he always put up. She met his eyes briefly before he averted them, out of guilt instead of uneasiness.

''What do you mean?''

''Nothing.''

''Tris,'' Rory said, softly urging him.

Tristan let out an exaggerated sigh while returning his eyes to Rory's. ''It's no big thing.''

''Tell me anyway,'' Rory pushed.

The corners of Tristan's mouth lifted themselves slightly so a faint smirk appeared on his face. ''Well, since you're so interested... My parents are going to a wedding tonight and since it'll run late they'll be staying at the same hotel as where the reception is being held which leaves me home alone tonight.''

''Then invite one of your friends. You have more than enough,'' Rory pointed out.

''Nah.'' Tristan shook his head. ''If I invite one, he'll just tell some of his friends who will also pass it on and before you know it, it'll turn into a party.''

''At least you won't be alone.''

''I'm not in the mood for a party,'' Tristan said. ''But that doesn't mean that I'll be alone tonight. See, I was thinking that maybe you could come over? We can watch some movies... Maybe you can even stay over?''

Rory raised an eyebrow at his last question. ''Like a sleepover?''

Tristan shot her a look which made her laugh.

''As tempting as that sounds, I can't. I have dinner with my grandparents every Friday, remember?''

''Right,'' he said. ''Well, I hope you'll have fun.'' He reached for his bag and made an attempt to get up, but Rory stopped him by kicking him underneath the table.

''Jerk.''

''What was that for?'' Tristan asked as he fell back into his seat.

''You didn't even give me a chance to fully respond to your request. I was going to say that you could stay over at my place instead. You can even go to dinner with us, if you want.''

''I'll bedazzle your grandparents with my wit and charm.''

Rory bit her lip, trying not to laugh, but couldn't help from softly chuckling at his words. ''You and your ego could start your own TV Show.''

Tristan shot her a look she didn't pay any attention to. ''You could call it 'Ego-Tripping'.''

Tristan in return, rolled his eyes, but cracked a smile anyway as he waited for her to get over whatever she was on.

''I'm sorry,'' she said. ''So, I'm assuming that you're staying over tonight?''

''That depends...what about your mom?''

''I'll handle her,'' Rory said. ''After all, we're friends.''

Tristan didn't say anything as he lowered his eyes and reached for another chip.

-x-x-x-

''Hey, Michel, is my mom there?'' Rory asked as she sat down cross-legged on the couch.

''I imagine that she's walking around somewhere,'' he replied, his tone as uncaring as usual.

''Well, do you think you could find her for me?''

Michel sighed on the other end of the line. ''I'm afraid that I am much too busy to wander around aimlessly in search for your dear mother. However, you can choose to wait until I get bored of doing nothing.''

''No,'' Rory said quickly. ''Just find someone else who can help me.''

''Okay, one moment.''

''Michel, what are you doing? ...don't put me down like you did last time...''

''That was a mistake, silly me, I forgot all about you.'' His voice trailed off for a few seconds as she heard him push the phone in someone else's hands.

''Hello?''

''Hey, Sookie,'' Rory said as soon as she recognized the voice. ''Do you know where my mom might be?''

''I'm heading in that direction right now.''

''Good... so, how's your cooking going?''

''Fantastic!'' Sookie said, her voice sounding even more cheerful than usual. ''Today I made some double chocolate cookie for the guests and it was a success.''

''Double chocolate?''

''Yep. The outside of the cookie is covered with chocolate and I filled the inside with chunks of it, too,'' Sookie explained excitedly, evidence of how passionate she was about cooking.

''Sounds delicious,'' Rory offered as a compliment.

''Trust me, they are. They're little pieces of heaven wrapped up in chocolaty goodness. Oh, I still have a few left. Do you want me to send them home with your mom?''

''Please.''

''I will be expecting a review.''

''Five pages, no spacing, got it,'' Rory said.

''Thanks, sweetie. Here's your mom.''

''...I'm assuming that this is my daughter?'' came her mom's familiar voice.

''Well, I do have your name.''

''Just checking. What's up?''

''I wanted to ask you something,'' Rory started.

''Hit me.''

''Can a friend sleep over tonight?''

''That depends,'' Lorelai responded. ''Is your friend a male or female?''

Rory sighed. ''It's Tristan.''

''What would you say if I said no?''

''That you're being unfair because he and I are friends and this is what friends do when they help each other,'' Rory defended.

''Helped from what?''

''From loneliness... His parents are going to some wedding and won't be home until tomorrow,'' she explained, her pace haste.

''And he doesn't have a date to spend the evening with?''

Rory smiled at the surprise in her mother's voice. ''His reputation precedes him, but no.''

''Okay, but only if you promise not to sleep in the same bed; he can have the couch.''

''But we always have our best and most meaningful conversations at night.''

''Fine,'' Lorelai gave in. ''We'll haul a mattress over to your room and he can sleep on that.''

''Thank you.''

''No problem, but if you two wake up on top of each other naked then he's not allowed to come into the house anymore... ever''

''Mom!'' was Rory's response.

''And you will disown him as a friend no matter how good he might look without any clothes on,'' Lorelai finished.

''Okay, did you not notice the tone of my voice?'' Rory asked. ''It emphasizes how far-fetched that idea is.''

''Not in my head,'' Lorelai said in a sing song voice.

''You need to be hospitalized,'' Rory returned.

''There's an upside to this, though. My parents will have a new victim.''

''Mean.''

''That's the name most people call me, but I don't go by,'' Lorelai playfully remarked.

''I'll see you tonight.''

''Fully clothed please.''

-x-x-x-

That evening, the doorbell rang just when the two Gilmore Girls were going through their weekly process of getting ready. They were both locked up in their room, rummaging through their many clothes in search of something suitable to wear, although the doorbell disturbed at least one of them from continuing the process.

''Ror, sweets, can you get that please! Mommy isn't fully dressed yet!''

Rory rolled her eyes as she exited her room. Only her mom wouldn't be ashamed to yell stuff like that around the house loud enough for the neighbors to hear. Rory made her way towards the door at a quick pace, not wanting to keep the person waiting any longer than he already did. She, unlike her mother, was dressed. She wore a dress in a shade of dark red, that wrapped itself around her body perfectly, hugging it tightly in just the right places, but still gave her enough room to breathe. Her bare feet were clearly visible since the hem of the dress reached just below the knees. Just as visible was that familiar necklace she always wore because of the neckline that showed just enough of cleavage to show off the necklace. Her face still needed to be supplied with the light make-up she always wore to these dinners and her hair still needed to be done, but those things didn't matter because she looked more than beautiful like this. And that was exactly the same thought that went through Tristan's head once she had opened the door and revealed herself to him.

''Tristan, hey,'' she greeted, a smile only accentuating the beauty she so humbly wore.

''I feel underdressed.''

Rory detached her gaze from his to quickly take in his appearance. Her smile widened at the sight of his faded jeans and the white button up shirt. To her, it was a perfect combination of his usual casualness and the classiness he was brought up with.

''You look perfect,'' Rory offered, taking a step back so Tristan could pass, ''although you should try combing your hair every now and then.''

''And ruin the effect,'' Tristan said while he rain his hand through his locks, messing them up even more. ''Plus, you shouldn't be talking since your hair seems to be in the same state.

Rory closed the door. ''That's because you're here earlier than I expected. I'm not wearing shoes or make-up, either.''

''You don't need those things.''

''I don't need shoes?'' Rory asked with a smile.

''Okay, maybe you need the shoes, but you don't need the make-up.''

Rory's cheeks became the same color as her dress, although she didn't turn her eyes away from his. ''Thanks, roomie. I've got to finish dressing, make yourself at home.''

Tristan raised an eyebrow as he watched her head back into her room, wondering what secret she now held in the palm of her hand.

-x-x-x-

''You did call them to let them know that we were bringing a guest, right?'' Rory asked after her mom had knocked on the door.

''Well, of course, although he can be hardly considered a guest since he's your friend and all,'' Lorelai rambled.

''Right.'' Rory exchanged a look with Tristan before the door was opened by Emily herself.

''Hello girls... I didn't know you were bringing a guest. Come in, come in.''

''Liar,'' Rory said to her mom right before they stepped into the hall.

''Well, young man, what's your name?'' Emily asked after closing the door.

''Oh, I apologize,'' Tristan said as he took a step forwards and held out his hand. ''My name's Tristan DuGrey. You may know my parents?''

''Of course, wonderful people,'' Emily complimented as she shook his hand. ''Rory, is this your boyfriend?''

''Oh, no, grandma, he's a friend,'' Rory said, her mind automatically switching to Dean as she said this. She hadn't thought about him this entire day.

''Yeah, mom, she's still with Dean. Remember him?''

''Ah, he's the tall one, right?'' Emily asked.

''He also has this floppy hair,'' Tristan said.

''Oh, right. Such a rude boy. Well, come on, dinner will be served soon.''

Rory gave Tristan a rough push before crossing her arms and following her mom and grandmother into the dining room. Tristan chuckled as he did the same.

-x-x-x-

While parking the jeep in their driveway, Rory's eyes almost immediately recognized the figure that was sitting on their front steps. She nudged her mom with her elbow and soon both her mom and Tristan had seen the figure, too.

''Let me guess,'' Lorelai started, ''you didn't tell him Tristan's staying over?''

Rory nodded. ''I forgot.''

''All girls do when they're with me,'' Tristan commented from the backseat.

Both Rory and Lorelai ignored him as they continued their dialogue. ''I'll take Mr. Witty over here inside so you two can talk, okay?''

Rory nodded as she opened the car door and got out. Dean got up and started to approach her, but stopped when the car door behind her opened and Tristan got out.

''What is he doing here?'' Dean asked, the anger already sinking into his features.

''Dean,'' Rory said as she approached him, knowing that he would be up in Tristan's face if she didn't stop him. ''I can explain.''

''So can I,'' Tristan said.

Dean glared at him, refraining from attacking him because Rory stood between the two of them. Rory shot her mom a pleading look, causing Lorelai to walk over to Tristan, grab his arm, and pull him towards the house. Once the door closed behind them, Rory let out a relieved sigh, glad that one obstacle had temporarily disappeared.

''Explain,'' Dean demanded as he looked down at his girlfriend.

''Well, Tristan's parents went to a wedding tonight and won't be home until tomorrow so I offered for Tristan to stay over because I didn't want him to be alone.''

''Doesn't he have friends?'' Dean asked, his features tense from how he strained to keep his patience.

''Of course, but he wasn't in the mood for a party.''

''That's a favorable excuse...for him.''

''Dean, please, we're friends...,'' Rory started, but Dean cut her off.

''And that's your excuse.''

''It isn't,'' she tried.

''Ror, don't be so naive, he's a guy and all guys want the same thing.''

''Like you?'' Rory asked while crossing her arms, offended by his words.

''No, I didn't mean it like that. Not all guys are like that.''

''Exactly, so why does Tristan have to be one of those guys?'' Rory asked stubbornly.

''How can you be defending him when you know what his reputation's like?!''

''But there's more to him and it's not fair to judge him like that, you know that. He's nice to me.''

''I'm sure he is,'' Dean bitterly remarked.

Rory's breath caught in her throat at his words, not believing that he had actually said that. She pushed passes him when she felt tears spring to her eyes. She hurried up the steps and inside the house, not paying attention to Dean calling her name or to her mom and Tristan whom she passed. She went into her room and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Lorelai and Tristan sitting in a sudden silence.

Lorelai looked over at Tristan. ''You're her mom,'' he tried.

''And you're her friend and the cause of why she's crying.''

''How do you know that she's crying?'' Tristan asked, although his gaze had already wandered over to the direction of her room.

''Call it a guess,'' Lorelai replied.

Tristan sighed as he got up from the couch and headed over to the closed door of her room. He waited a few seconds before knocking, listening to hear if she was indeed crying. When he heard the sound of faint sobbing, he brought his knuckles down upon the door.

''Rory?''

''Don't come in. I'm changing.''

Tristan held back a remark as he removed his hand from the door. ''Are you okay?''

He heard footsteps approach the door and took a step back, anticipating that it would fly open, which it did. Rory passed him without saying a word and headed into the kitchen.

''I need ice-cream.''

-x-x-x-

''Tris,'' Rory said, struggling to keep her eyes open.

''Yeah?''

''I'm tired. Would you mind if...?''

Tristan shook his head. ''No, I'm kinda tired to. You go ahead and I'll turn off the movie and stuff.''

''Thanks,'' Rory mumbled before getting up and heading to her room.

Tristan let a few seconds pass before he forced himself off the couch. After turning off the movie and TV and cleaning up all of the mess, he went to her room, too, since he saw the mattress earlier. When he entered her room, he found Rory lying on her bed with her eyes closed which he used to his advantage to take a closer look at the sleeping attire he sneaked glances at all throughout the night. He couldn't control himself. The baggy pants just hung too low on her hips and that shirt was simply too low for her own good, although it was pleasing for him.

''It shrunk in the wash,'' Rory suddenly said as she turned onto her side and opened her eyes.

''I didn't...''

''You were looking, but I'm too tired to care. I'll remember it for tomorrow, though.''

Tristan smirked. ''Since you don't care can I just change in...''

''The bathroom,'' Rory swiftly answered.

''Can't blame a guy for trying,'' he murmured before disappearing into the bathroom.

It took him only a couple of minutes to change and come out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of sweats and a simple, white t-shirt. He noticed that Rory's eyes were closed again and made himself comfortable on the mattress as quietly as he could. He rolled onto his side, too, and looked up at her, wondering if she was really asleep or not.

''Ror...''

''Uhuh?''

''I'm sorry about Dean.''

''It's my fault,'' Rory said softly. ''I didn't tell him that you were staying over.''

''That guy has some serious issues.''

Rory shrugged. ''I think he's jealous, even though he has no reason to be. I told him we were friends... Hey, Tris... is it okay if I go to sleep? I'm tired.''

''Of course,'' Tristan answered.

''Night.''

''Night, princess.''

Rory briefly smiled before nuzzling herself even more into her pillow.

* * *

REVIEW! Please? :-) Personally I think that this chapter was better than my last one and I am satisfied with most of it which is a big relief for me. :-) The next update will take about another week and maybe more because I'm going to be busy in that period of time, but as soon as I have the time to spare I'll start working on another chapter. I hope you'll continue reading this story because I appreciate the reviews I get and I wanted to thank you for those :-)


	5. Take A Deep Breath

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

**A/N: **Hey :-) I realize that Tristan didn't really do anything to get closer to Rory in the last chapter, but he's slowly trying to win her trust and make it easier for her...I think that will be further explained in this chapter and Rory and Tristan will also spend the day together. :-) I hope you'll enjoy and thanks to _Alexia _for looking through it and helping me get better at the punctuation.

* * *

**Take A Deep Breath**

The next morning, Rory's eyes opened to the sight of an empty mattress, its sheets wrinkled with morning carelessness. She moaned as she rolled over onto her back, blinking a few times before rubbing the disorientation out of her eyes. As she let her arms fall down to her sides, she lazily looked around the room. When she could spot none of his clothes, she figured that he must have already gotten up a while ago and was now sitting in the living room watching cartoons of some kind. He had always been an early bird. Rory sighed as she contemplated on going back to sleep for another hour, but eventually decided against it. Normally she didn't mind to sleep until noon on a Saturday, but today was an exception because she had homework to finish - homework that she couldn't do yesterday.

She forced herself into a sitting position and gave herself a few more seconds to get used to the actual time before getting up. While running both of her hands through her disordered locks, she stumbled in the direction of the bathroom. She blindly reached for the doorknob and practically fell into the bathroom, though her fall was easily caught by the sight in front of her. Tristan was standing in front of the mirror while skillfully running a razor across his face, even though that wasn't what had stolen Rory's attention. Her eyes had immediately dipped themselves to his waist, where his jeans hang too low and too loosely. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she brought her eyes back up to his face in one fast motion, choosing not to acknowledge the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt, either. Their eyes met in the mirror and Tristan smirked.

''Finding it a little hard to concentrate, Mary?''

''I can't believe you're even like this in the morning,'' Rory commented as she walked up to him and stood beside him at the sink. She reached for her toothbrush and toothpaste.

''How about after I watch you brush your teeth and you watch me shave, we can watch each other shower?''

Rory just glared at him as she started brushing her teeth.

-x-x-x-

''Are you going home or are you eating breakfast with me and my mom?!'' Rory yelled while pulling a shirt over her head.

''Breakfast sounds good!'' Tristan returned from the other side of the door. ''No one's waiting at home for me anyway.''

Rory pulled her shirt down and flung the door open, coming face to face with Tristan who was waiting for her at the other end of it. ''I thought your parents were coming back today?''

Tristan shrugged. ''They were, but they're addicted to their work.''

''I'm sorry,'' Rory offered while reaching for her brush.

Tristan shrugged again, this time trying to shrug of the sting of his own careless words. ''I don't need your pity.''

''Maybe not, but you do need breakfast.'' She threw him a smile as she ran her brush through her hair.

Her smile seemed to be contagious because Tristan copied it without noticing. ''Are you offering to make it?''

Rory snorted. ''Yeah, right. We don't even have bread, but Luke's, on the other hand, has all the breakfast food you can dream off.''

Tristan raised an eyebrow. ''I think people have better things to dream of than bacon and eggs, of course those people aren't you.''

Rory stuck out her tongue and dropped her brush on her bed. ''Done, let's go.''

''I'll drive.''

Rory shook her head. ''You're such a snob.''

-x-x-x-

When Rory and Tristan entered Luke's, Lorelai was already sitting at one of the tables, waiting for the two of them to arrive. When they did, she looked up from her coffee and threw them both a smile.

''Morning, you two.''

Tristan nodded before sitting down while Rory gave her mom a kiss on the cheek first before doing the same.

''So, how did you two sleep?'' Lorelai asked, throwing Rory a look in the process.

''Great,'' Tristan answered. ''I appreciated you letting me stay here, Lorelai, and I was thinking that I could repay you both by buying you breakfast.''

''Snob,'' Rory playfully mumbled.

''That's really nice of you, Tristan, but I...''

''Before you say anything,'' Tristan interrupted, ''I insist on buying you two breakfast no matter what you say. Now, what do you like?''

''Everything,'' Lorelai answered.

''Right...maybe I'll just ask the dude in flannel to help me,'' Tristan said as he got up.

''One tip, don't call him that; he won't help you if you do.''

''Yeah, you'll make us look bad,'' Rory chipped in.

''And I wouldn't want to do that,'' he said before walking off towards the counter.

''So,'' Lorelai started, but pausing to take a quick sip of her coffee, ''you two slept great, huh? Great together or great separately?''

''Why do I have a feeling that you already know the answer to that question because you secretly chained me to the bed as soon as I fell asleep?''

''Well, I just wanted to be sure.'' Lorelai smiled. ''Plus, I would have rather have me chain you to the bed than him.''

''You know, you and Tristan are more alike than you think.''

''You mean hot and sexy?'' Lorelai asked while batting her eyelashes.

Rory rolled her eyes. ''Yes, that's exactly what I meant.''

Both of the Gilmore Girls remained quiet as Tristan approached the table again. ''The food should be here soon.''

''Well,'' Lorelai said while reaching for her bag, ''I hope you two are hungry because I have to go and check in at the Inn. I rhymed.''

''Yes, you did.''

''But I ordered breakfast for three people, though Luke mentioned that it was more like five,'' Tristan remarked.

''Like I said, I hope you two are hungry.'' Lorelai got up and kissed Rory on the cheek. ''I'll see you tonight, hon. Be good. Bye Trissie,'' she finished and blew Tristan a kiss.

''I wish she would have told me sooner that she was going to the inn,'' he commented after Lorelai had left the diner.

''Ah, but you insisted, Trissie.''

''At least I know that food won't go to waste,'' he playfully shot back.

''See, I do have a talent.''

Tristan chuckled at her response. ''So, I'm assuming that you'll be home alone today?''

Rory nodded.

''Any idea of what how you're going to spend all of that time?''

Rory shrugged. ''I still have some homework to do and I can always read.''

''Would you be able to reschedule both of those activities to later today if something important possibly came up?'' he asked.

''Something important like?''

''Swimming,'' Tristan proposed. ''My parents aren't going to be home until tonight so that leaves me home alone, too. I have a pool.''

''You have a pool?'' Rory asked unbelievingly.

''Yeah.''

''With water?''

''With water and a slide,'' Tristan answered, trying not to laugh at Rory's thrilled expression.

''I love slides.''

''Is that a yes?''

''I love slides,'' Rory said in a singsong voice.

Tristan just shook his head.

-x-x-x-

''You actually have a pool!'' was the first thing that escaped Rory's lips when Tristan showed her the pool.

''I said I had one, didn't I?''

''Well, yeah, but I thought you were lying. I mean, sure I expected you to have water, but in a cup,'' Rory confessed.

''With a slide made by Mattel,'' Tristan added, cracking a smile at the same time. ''Come on, I'll show you where you can change.''

He led her past the pool and to a couple of outdoor showers and changing rooms, making her feel like she was really at the beach.

''You can change in here,'' he said while gesturing towards one of the cubicles, ''and if you need anything, like some help, I'll be in the next room.''

Rory rolled her eyes as she disappeared into the changing room. Once she was in there, she pulled out the bikini she had brought. Just by the shade of white it was in, she could tell that her mom had bought it for her after insisting that she could no longer wear her old one because it was too old and worn. Lorelai had also told her that she should have at least one bikini, even though she didn't like swimming all that much. Rory shook her head as she took in the piece of clothing she had never worn before. She tried to picture herself wearing it, but she couldn't and that was probably because her mom had picked it out for her. With a sigh, she started to take off her clothes, knowing that she had to swim in something.

When she departed the changing room, she felt nervous and extremely self-conscious because she didn't know how she looked in the two-piece. She crossed her arms in front of her stomach and hesitantly headed towards the pool where Tristan was already waiting for her.

''Well, look who came with the Mattel slide.''

''My mom bought it,'' Rory explained, trying to cover herself up as much as she could.

''I think your mom did a killer job, though I still think it covers too much of what nature blessed you with,'' Tristan flirtatiously remarked as his eyes took in every inch of her, making her feel even more uncomfortable.

''Tristan, could you maybe not do that because I already feel like I'm practically naked and you're just affirming that which is making me really uncomfortable.''

Tristan forced his eyes up to her face. ''I'm sorry.'' He took a couple of steps towards her. ''The good news is that you're already wearing much more than some of the girls I have dated.''

''Yeah, not exactly comforting,'' Rory said, though she did uncross her arms.

''I can go and find a t-shirt for you to swim in, if you want?''

Rory shook her head. ''No, that's okay.'' She smiled and gently pushed him. ''Just stop looking at me like I'm one of your girlfriends.''

Tristan smirked. ''Are you insinuating something, Mary?''

Rory didn't say anything and just lowered her eyes down to her feet. But before her cheeks got the chance to taint with the awkwardness of the moment, Tristan lifted her off the ground with ease by wrapping one arm around her waist and slipping one underneath her knees. Before she could even try to struggle her way out of it, he threw her into the pool, jumping in after her.

-x-x-x-

Rory turned on one of the showers, wanting badly to get rid of any of the chlorine that might have attached itself to her body. She looked down at her hands, smiling at all the small wrinkles in her skin. They had spent the later half of the morning and the entire afternoon in the pool. At first, they joked around a lot by pushing each other in the water and going down the slide. Tristan had even gotten a good scare out of her by pulling at her legs under water. Once they had gotten sick of playing those games and acting like ten year olds, they had just remained in the water talking and Tristan had actually been serious throughout most of the conversations.

Rory brought her hands up to her hair, wanting to make sure that none of the chlorine stuck there, either. As she ran her hands through her hair she could feel another presence behind her, invading her personal space as it came even closer so that they were both standing underneath the same shower. Rory, however found herself not saying anything and just continuing with her actions while she wondered what he was doing. Suddenly, she froze. Her muscles tensed up and it took her longer than usual to lower her head and look down at what she had already expected. The side of his arm was pressed against her side as he reached for something, though she didn't seem to be able to just look up to see what it was. Instead, she stood as still as she could and held her breath as she felt him lean in even more.

''Soap,'' he explained, before clasping the soap and pulling his arm back slowly. His skin seemed to brush against hers inch by inch. When he removed his arm, she tried to breathe normally again, though she did unconsciously take a step back, making breathing both harder for her and Tristan.

For the first time today, Tristan found himself thinking about the bet. He realized that what he had been doing today, spending time with her, had been work for him. These last two days, he had tried to win her trust and get slightly closer to her. He knew that he had to take his time and come on to her subtly so he wouldn't scare her off. Tristan knew that if he made her feel something for him, things would be much easier for the both of them. It would be for their own good. Of course, he would try to push his luck at the right moments, like now. There were only inches of space left between his chest and her back.

He took another step towards her so they were now skin on skin. He knew that all he had to do was slip his hands around her waist and kiss her, then she would be on her way to falling in love with him. He had enough of experience to know how to successfully seduce a girl, but for some reason, with Rory, he got scared and backed off. He didn't know what he feared, maybe it was the fact that he would lose her friendship or maybe it was because he hadn't been able to collect the right amount of courage yet. Either way, he let go of her and walked away that afternoon, giving their friendship at least one more day.

Rory turned off the shower disappointed.

-x-x-x-

After Tristan had dropped Rory off at home, she waited for his car to leave her driveway before walking down it herself. She knew that she had only let Tristan get so close to her because she missed, Dean, her boyfriend. She hadn't seen him since the evening of their fight and to be honest, she hadn't thought about him all that much until now, but she told herself that she had been too busy to think of him. Convinced of her own lies, she headed in the direction of Dean's house, hoping to put their fight behind them.

* * *

**REVIEW! Please? :-) **I know, I know, nothing big happened yet, but by now y'all should know that I don't like to rush things. I think I may end up surprising you by how Tristan approaches the bet. So...did you like it...because I kinda liked the opening scene. :-) Please leave a review and thank you to the people who did the last chapter. :-)

Okay, now if you are interested and/or have the time please check out my new one parter _Broken Record _(Lit), the new update for _Cornered _(for all you Trory's who have a knack for Lit's, too), the update for _Alienated _(Roswell fic) and my original short story at fictionpress called _Never Never Land _which I am very excited about. :-) Y'all don't have too, but if you do...thanks :-)


	6. Ready, Set, Go!

Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

A/N: And another chapter! :-) I really love summer break or just vacation for that matter because it gives me the time to do whatever I want, but I'm sure that's the same for all of you. Anyway, be sure to check out the A/N at the bottom and I hope you'll enjoy. _Thanks to Alexia for beta-ing. _:-)

* * *

Ready, Set, Go!

When Rory came through the Chilton doors, she made her way down the steps slower than usual, gripping at the shoulder strap of her bag as she braced herself for what was about to come, knowing how easily details could slip from his lips and how swiftly those small facts could be turned into the latest gossip. With every step she took, her grip on her shoulder strap tightened, turning her knuckles into a even lighter shade than her skin. As she headed for the corridor, she felt extremely self-conscious, thinking that everyone's eyes would shift in her direction the moment she would enter the hallway. Of course, no one did look at her. They didn't even so much as glance at her as she passed them by, holding her breath as she did so. But after she passed another few groups without them even so much as noticing her, she knew that she could let out the breath that she had been holding.

It was a Monday just like any other one and nothing was out of place. The different groups still each had their own spot in the corridor, the usual Monday morning conversation flowing from mouth to mouth and from ear to ear. They talked about the parties they had gone to and how they had woken up feeling sick the next morning. The less daring ones, whom you could also consider as the even bigger snobs, spoke arrogantly of the boat trips they had been on and how impressed the girl by their side had been with all of it. And, of course, the girls gushed about the shopping sprees they had gone on, accompanied by their daddy's credit card, as they had gone from store to store. These were all advantages of being rich and people weren't afraid to flaunt the money that they had. Money was everywhere, from the expensive brands of cars they drove to the leather bags they carried and the jewelry they wore. Rory knew that she couldn't afford all of that luxury, though her grandmother would give her anything her heart desired, but she wouldn't trade the life she had for anything because she was happy.

Despite all of this familiarity that crowded the hall, she felt different. She didn't feel as careless as she usually did when she made her way to her locker. Her movements weren't casual on this Monday because she was actually looking for him among the many crowds, knowing that he had one of his own. Apparently she cared even more than she thought because when she saw him, she found herself stumbling for her sensible piece of mind blindly, her attention focused on the thoughts that flashed through her mind the moment her eyes had found him. She remembered how her heart had sped up at his gentle touch and she also remembered the disappointment she felt the moment he had walked off without saying a word.

Rory brushed off the feelings as easily as they had slipped into her head, though she knew that she couldn't force them out of her mind, but only to the back of it. Her eyes held his figure for a few more seconds, long enough for her to see how affectionate he was being towards some of the girls standing near him. It was nothing new, but enough to make her go back to her usual routine of dropping her bag on the floor and opening her locker. She knew that something in her behavior had changed; she was trying to get his attention by deliberately slowing her actions down, silently hoping that his eyes would find her in the chaos. Almost instantly, however she realized how foolish she must look and shook her head with a smile as she grabbed her books and closed her locker. She almost got down to her knees to pick up her bag, taking a step away from her locker as she pulled her bag up. Before she could pull the shoulder trap over her head, she felt herself collide with someone.

''Whoa,'' she said while a pair of hands placed themselves on her waist. The touch felt familiar to her, the way the fingers were spread and how the thumbs lightly pressed themselves into her sides, adding just enough pressure for her to know that all was okay and that he had her, like he always had. At her own thoughts, she turned around quickly to face him, his hands finding her waist again with ease, almost like they belonged.

''Can't find any other words to describe me, huh, Mary?''

The ringing of the bell broke the rails on which Rory's train of thoughts ran, giving her some peace, though the confusion remained.

''I would like to continue this, but we have to get to class.''

''Yes, we do,'' Tristan said and quickly snatched her books from her hands. ''I'll walk you.''

''Only because we have to be at the same classroom, I'm sure.''

''The right answer would have been 'thank you'.''

''I didn't ask you to walk me to class,'' Rory pointed out.

''Time's a wasting.''

Rory sighed which just caused him to crack a smile. ''Ladies first.''

-x-x-x-

When they finally reached the classroom, most of the students were already there, including Tristan's friends whom he spotted almost immediately. He nodded in their direction to acknowledge them and silently tell them that he would be right there. He looked back at Rory as he handed her back her books.

''Does that mean you did bring your own books?'' she playfully asked.

Tristan couldn't help but smile at her teasing words, knowing that he often 'forgot' his books simply because it was just extra weight to carry around and that he would often share books with one of his friends, if they had remembered to bring them.

''I have my books right here,'' he said while tapping the side of his bag. ''My Biology class got canceled so I had some extra room. I carried your books out of the kindness of my heart.''

''You mean you actually have one?''

''One that beats fiercely for you.''

''And here I thought it was made from stone,'' Rory responded.

''In that case it's really lively stone.''

Rory shook her head with a smile as she watched Tristan head over to his friends. She sat down at a desk herself, dropping her books on it at the same time. While she opened her books to the pages they had left off, Paris hurried into the classroom, Louise and Madeline trailing behind her. She sat down next to Rory, Louise and Madeline dropping themselves in the desks behind them.

''So did you go to a party, too?''

''Hey, Paris,'' Rory answered, used to her behavior.

''Would you stop avoiding the subject.''

''Okay, I'm sorry. Next time I'll skip the greetings and dive straight into a conversation about politics,'' Rory mumbled.

Paris shot Rory a look. ''My question has nothing to do with politics. I mean, sure, you can turn it into something political, though it's almost impossible, but not impossible, because nothing is really impossible nowadays with the technology we are provided with and the...''

Rory sighed. ''No, I didn't go to a party.''

''It's rude to interrupt people, you know? And I'm not surprised, you're not really a paper hat and piñata kinda girl.''

''Then what was the use of the question?'' Rory asked.

Paris shrugged. ''It was a conversation starter. Plus, I can't stand those people who do go to parties.''

''You mean the kind that actually have fun?''

Paris snorted. ''Please, they only pretend to have fun because they are expected to have fun and their friends are there, also pretending to have fun. It's a vicious circle. Why do you think the punch's there?''

''Point made.''

''Thank you. So, what did you do this weekend?'' Paris continued.

''Well, nothing much. A friend slept over and we hung out, that's about it.''

''You mean like a slumber party?''

''Not exactly, but...yeah, kinda.''

Paris raised an eyebrow. ''Was it that Korean friend of yours?''

Rory shook her head. ''It wasn't Lane.''

''You mean you have other friends?''

''Don't sound so surprised about it,'' Rory remarked. ''I have other friends, you know?''

''Right, of course. So, who was it?''

''Well...''

''Come on, you have to tell me, otherwise I will think that it's an invisible friend you made up and that would be pathetic,'' Paris said.

Rory rolled her eyes. ''It was Tristan.''

Paris's eyes widened. ''He slept over?!''

''Paris! Shhh, his parents were away and...''

''Who slept over?'' Louise interrupted, suddenly interested in the conversation because of Paris's reaction.

''Tristan,'' Paris answered for Rory whom shot her a glare.

Madeline looked over at Rory. ''He slept over at your place?''

''I have to tell-'' Louise started.

''No one,'' Rory quickly said, knowing that she was asking the impossible of Chilton's biggest gossip queen.

''And why wouldn't I tell anyone about this?'' Louise asked while crossing her arms.

''Yeah, are you asking us to keep this a secret?'' Madeline asked, her tone slightly more gentle than Louise's.

Rory shook her head. ''No, it's no secret. I just don't want to be there when you tell everyone.''

''Good because we're not that good at keeping secrets,'' Madeline confessed.

Paris just rolled her eyes at her words.

''Fine,'' Louise said, ''we'll wait until lunch.''

Rory nodded and turned around in her seat, her gaze automatically traveling over to the blackboard, wanting something else to concentrate on during this class, though she knew that it would be hard because she could hear Louise and Madeline whispering behind her.

-x-x-x-

By the time lunch came around, Rory fled to the library, knowing that no one would come looking for her there. Meanwhile, Louise and Madeline had started spreading the word and five minutes into lunch everyone knew about Tristan's little sleepover at Rory's house. Contrary to what Rory thought, Tristan wasn't happy about the newly found gossip, though he kept appearances up by grinning and answering all the questions that were thrown in his direction.

''Did you finally get her?'' one of his 'friends' asked, his eyes gleaming with the true meaning to his words.

''More important, did you get the pictures?'' Matt asked Tristan with a sly smile, not even bothering to lower his voice because most of the people at their table already knew about the bet.

Tristan thought about just saying yes to the first question and telling Matt that he had been so caught up in the moment that he had forgotten to take pictures, but instead, he shook his head. He knew that without the pictures Matt wouldn't be satisfied and he didn't want him to come near Rory because the damage would be even worse if Matt would cause it.

Tristan got up and headed over to Madeline and Louise's table, though he had no interest in them. He was interested in the other girl that sat across from them, glaring at everyone who even dared to approach her, including him.

''What do you want?'' she asked once he had reached the table, ignoring Louise as she was leering at him.

''A day on a yacht with a supermodel, but since I'm not getting that until Christmas, I will settle for an answer to my question.''

''What question?''

''Patience is a virtue, you know that, right, Paris?'' Tristan commented.

The girl glared at him. ''You have five seconds before I completely shut you out.''

''I was just wondering if you knew where Rory is.''

''Do I look like someone who loves unicorns?'' Paris asked.

Tristan almost started to laugh at the image she gave him, but chose to say nothing instead. He nodded at the two other girls at the table before turning around.

''She said something about the library,'' he heard Paris say.

-x-x-x-

Tristan found Rory in the back of the library, the study section to be exact. It was secluded from peering eyes by rows and rows of books, giving her the privacy she wanted. She was sitting at one of the few tables, her eyes focused on the book in front of her, one hand lingering on top of it and the other one playing with her hair. He watched her twirl a strand of hair around her finger. He would do the same thing, twirl strands of her hair around his fingers, when he was sitting behind her in class, paying attention to no one but her. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he approached her.

''Hiding?''

Rory looked up, disorientated for the first few seconds as she brought her head up to look at him.

''Something like that.''

''Louise and Madeline did a great job on spreading the news of our little sleepover,'' Tristan said while removing his hands from his pockets and reaching for a chair. ''You did know that this would happen once you'd told them, right?'' Tristan sat down across from her.

''I didn't tell them,'' Rory started, ''well, I did, but they overheard me talking to Paris and...''

''You told Paris about it?'' Tristan asked, surprised at his news.

Rory lowered her eyes to her book. ''I didn't mean to, but she asked me about my weekend and when I tried to avoid it, she starting rambling about something that included punch, so I just told her to shut her up. Of course, Louise and Madeline heard because they were sitting right behind us.'' Rory sighed. ''At least for once the gossip's true...it's still true, right?'' she asked while bringing her eyes back to Tristan curiously.

''What do you mean?''

''Well, you didn't exaggerate...''

''Exaggerate?'' Tristan asked.

''Yeah, you know, by telling people that there was more to it than really was.''

''Do you really think that I would do that?''

Rory bit her lip and stared at him before answering. ''I don't know; you are one of the popular guys and I know how sometimes...''

Tristan stopped her by gently touching her hand. ''Princess, I would never do something like that to you.'' It hurt because he knew that he was lying to her and he wanted to tell her about the bet, the words lay on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't. If he did, Matt would have his way with her and he didn't care about hurting Rory's feelings or anything like that. To him, it was just another game.

Tristan pulled his hand back. ''Do you want some company?''

Rory smiled.

-x-x-x-

After school, Tristan caught up with Rory when she was already heading outside.

''Hey,'' he offered.

''Hey,'' she returned, though absently.

''So, are you insisting on taking the bus again or can I give you a ride home?''

''Actually,'' Rory started while turning her head in his direction, ''I don't need a ride today, someone's picking me up.''

''Ah, your mom?''

''Dean,'' she said.

Tristan stopped dead in his tracks at her words. Of course, he knew that she had a boyfriend, though sometimes he chose to let that small detail slip his mind, for his sake. He brought his gaze up and looked over at the parking lot, scanning every lot until he found him, her boyfriend. Their eyes met for a split second, but he lowered them when he heard Rory call him.

''Tristan?''

''Yeah.''

''Thanks for the offer, but...''

''Dean's here. I know,'' Tristan said. ''You should go, he's waiting.''

Rory looked at him, hesitating briefly before mumbling a goodbye and hurrying over to Dean, Tristan's eyes on her back. He watched them exchange a kiss.

''Is that her boyfriend?''

Tristan glanced over at Matt who had appeared next to him, his eyes intently fixed on Dean.

Tristan nodded. ''Yeah.''

''Is he going to be an obstacle?''

Tristan swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched Rory get into the car. ''No.''

''Good. Oh, I have something for you.'' Matt reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to Tristan, whom heard the car drive off just as he looked down at the piece of paper. It was a flyer.

''It's a party,'' Matt said. ''There'll be music, some cool people, and most importantly, beer. Take her to the party, make it fast and easy for the both of you.''

''Why are you doing this?'' Tristan asked, not comprehending how Matt's mind worked.

Matt shrugged. ''I'm just looking for some fun and it's great fun to see you being controlled for once. Don't forget to bring the camera.'' He winked and walked off.

Tristan sighed and took a hold of Madeline's wrist as she walked by, knowing that she wouldn't ask any questions.

''Maddie, I need you to do me a favor. You have to convince Rory to go to this party.''

* * *

REVIEW! Please? :-) Dum dum dum... Kidding, this isn't even a cliffhanger, but I just felt like typing the dum dum dum. shrugs Doesn't make a lot of sense, I know. :-) I hope y'all liked it and I would appreciate if you would let me know. :-)

Other than that, I started a new Lit _Homeboy_, updated my Roswell fic _Alienated_, and I put up the prologue of my first original story at so please check that out if you have the time and interest. The link can be found in my biography. You might even be surprised. :-) Thanks anyway.

****


	7. Social

Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

A/N: Be sure to check out the message at the bottom of this chapter and a big thanks to _Alexia _for beta-ing. :-)

* * *

Social

''Rory.''

Rory lifted her head, her eyes leisurely following the same path, her mind still caught up in the sentences she had just read, though she detached herself from them as soon as her eyes found the person that had interrupted her.

''Madeline?'' she asked, surprised to see the raven haired girl standing in front of her. Rory took a few seconds to scan the cafeteria, looking for Louise. She wondered if the two friends had a fight. Personally, she liked Madeline better than Louise because Madeline was always just a little bit nicer to everyone.

''Can I join you?''

Rory returned her gaze to the girl in front of her, now used to the black Mary Janes with the thick plateau soles and dark eye make-up, and nodded. ''Yeah, of course.''

Madeline threw her one of her cheery smiles before sitting down across from her. ''Thanks.''

Rory watched as Madeline sat down, hiking up her skirt another couple of inches, though she did it for comfort and not to show off. ''So, are you going to Joseph's party?''

Rory looked at Madeline who rolled her eyes at her. ''Joseph Tinsdale?''

''Oh, yeah, I think I have math with him.''

''Yeah, well, he's throwing a party this Friday and you should come.''

Rory shook her head. ''I don't think so.''

''Why not? It'll be fun.''

''I always have dinner with my grandparents on Friday,'' Rory explained, hoping that Madeline would find that enough to drop the subject, but the girl only shrugged.

''So get out of it. It's your chance to experience a real party with beer and rock music and everyone has to experience that at least once in their lives.''

''I'm not exactly that kind of person. I mean, don't get me wrong; I like rock music, but I could do without the beer,'' Rory said.

''It's not about the beer, silly. It's about having fun. Even Paris is going.''

''Because her mom always forces her to go to every Chilton party... Does she have fun?''

''It's Paris,'' Madeline pointed out.

''Point made, but in the party department, Paris and I are more alike than you think. Plus, I won't know anyone there and I'm not going to stand beside Paris all night and watch her look at her watch every minute.''

''You don't have to worry about being the loner,'' Madeline said ''You can hang with me and Louise. You might have fun...'' Madeline bit her lip for a couple of seconds before blurting out, ''Tristan will be there.''

''Isn't he always?''

''Of course. It comes with his level of popularity and he's a social person,'' Madeline said.

''Yeah, social. You know, that actually explains a lot about him.'' Rory smiled. 'Social' was indeed an excellent way to describe Tristan.

Madeline realized what Rory meant and started to chuckle, earning a look from Rory before she started to laugh herself, not believing that she was actually laughing about something so stupid with Madeline.

''Social or not,'' Madeline started as soon as the amusement had faded, ''this time he's only going to the party because of you.''

''What?''

''Promise you won't tell?''

Rory nodded. ''Yeah.''

''Cross your heart and hope to die?'' Madeline asked.

Rory raised an eyebrow. ''Would you?''

Madeline smiled and shook her head. ''No, just don't tell Louise about all of this. I didn't tell her because Tristan said that is was a secret...it was supposed to be a secret anyway.''

''A secret?''

''Yeah, he asked me to ask you to go to the party.''

''Why, I mean, why didn't he ask me himself?'' Rory asked, curious about the answer.

''Isn't it obvious? He likes you and he had me ask you because he's too shy to.''

Rory smiled as she pictured Tristan being shy, something that was impossible, but for some reason she couldn't laugh at it.

-x-x-x-

After her last class, she waited for Tristan at his locker, wanting to confront him with the weird situation at lunch, though Madeline's company at been surprisingly pleasant. She saw him approaching with a girl by his side, though she didn't pay any attention to it and slip away silently like she usually did when she saw that he had company. Tristan caught her eyes with his and said something to the girl by his side who seemed to struggle for his attention a little longer before giving up and walking away, though she couldn't help but throw an icy glare at Rory as she passed her.

''I don't think she likes me,'' Rory commented as Tristan came to a halt in front of her.

''This had better be good; I just refused Cathy Wild a ride...well, both rides actually.''

Rory didn't react to his remark. Her expression remained serious as she looked up at him, quickly letting her eyes glide over his features, wondering if they now seemed different to her, more noticeable maybe.

''Why did you get Madeline to convince me to go to the party?''

''Didn't she give you a reason?'' Tristan asked, his expression just as blank as hers, not wanting to let a hint of an emotion slip through.

''She did. She said that you liked me.''

''Well, I do like you,'' Tristan said, playfully touching the tip of her nose with his index finger before casually opening his locker, pretending to look for a book when really he was afraid that she would see right through his facade with those big blue eyes of hers.

His simple action made her feel as if she was a couple of years younger than him and he treated her like a child because that's exactly how he felt about her, like a child who he needed to protect and guard from all the bad things in the world and she hated it. She watched him grab a book and close his locker, doubting that he even knew how he made her feel; he never really did nor did he ever make her feel like this on purpose.

''If that's all, you will have to excuse me because I'm going to see if I can still catch Cathy.''

He grinned at her before turning around.

''Tristan...''

He silently sighed and turned around, knowing that he couldn't just pretend that he hadn't heard her, though the thought had crossed his mind.

''Why did you ask Madeline to do that?''

''Because I work in mysterious ways,'' he artfully answered, avoiding her eyes as they searched for his.

''Tris...''

''Cathy's waiting.''

''Fine, if she's more important than me,'' Rory softly said, slightly hurt by his behavior.

Tristan sighed and finally looked at her, letting his eyes rest on her face which was partially hidden behind stray strands of hair, though he could clearly see that she was pouting. It was something she had done for as long as he could remember and it made her look irresistibly sweet and even harder for him because he knew that he would hurt her if she did end up going to the party. Still, he knew that it was better to get it over with, as harsh as it may sound.

''Princess, don't do that.''

''Then tell me...''

''Okay, just stop doing that before I can't control myself anymore.'' He had meant for it to come over as playful, but his tone had been too gentle for that. It had almost sounded genuine which was why they both remained silent for a few seconds and just looked at each other, wondering. ''I wanted to ask you...''

''Why? Why is it so important to you that I go to this one? I never go to these parties.''

Tristan shrugged. ''I just thought it would be fun to attend at least one Chilton party with you before we graduate. I know the party itself is pretty random, but I was just looking out for you, you know, making sure that you have enough fun this year.''

Rory smiled at him. ''So why didn't you just ask me?''

''Because I'm a guy and Madeline's a girl.''

''Really because that did make me wonder,'' Rory remarked.

''Come on, would you have said yes if I asked you?''

''Yeah.''

''Would Dean have allowed you to say yes?'' Tristan asked.

''We're friends, he knows that.''

''Yeah, but I'm still a guy.''

''That explains the stubble,'' Rory said as she brought her hand up to his cheek and brushed her fingers against the rough skin.

An internal shiver ran through him, making him feel as if everything inside of him was shaking with the excitement he was experiencing at the moment. ''You know what I mean.''

''So I won't tell him,'' Rory offered, removing her hand from his face, making both their temperatures drop a few degrees.

Tristan raised an eyebrow. ''Are you actually going to lie to your boyfriend?''

''I won't be lying if I just meet you there and tell him that I'm going to a party, Chiltonites only. Now go, I'm sure Cathy is waiting for you.''

She gave him a gentle push before brushing past him and heading towards the doors. Only seconds later, she felt him throw an arm around her and for once she didn't struggle to get away from him. It felt comfortable enough to allow, just this once, of course.

-x-x-x-

As soon as Rory arrived at Stars Hollow, she hurried over to Luke's, knowing that Lane would be waiting for her. She had called her best friend as soon as she had gotten in the bus and asked her to meet her at the diner. Rory saw her immediately as she entered the diner and headed over to her, smiling when she saw that she had already ordered a cup of coffee for her.

''Hey,'' Rory said as she dropped her bag on the floor and sat down across from her friend, instantly reaching for the large cup. She took a gulp. ''I needed that.''

''So there is an emergency,'' Lane said.

Rory looked at her. ''What do you mean?''

''Well, you just said 'I needed that' like you really needed it and when you called me there was something about it that sounded emergency-y.''

''Well, there is none. I just had a confusing day at school and I needed to talk to someone.''

''At least you needed something,'' Lame remarked. ''So, tell me about this confusing day you had.''

''What do you want to hear, the long version, the short one, the in between one?''

''Just go from the top.''

''Well, Madeline ate lunch with me,'' Rory started.

''Reason?''

''Why does she have to have a reason? Maybe we're friends.''

''The day you start hiking up your Chilton skirt to above your knees, I'll believe you,'' Lane said. ''Now, without any further ado, the reason, ladies and gentlemen.''

Rory shook her head and smiled. ''She went on about a party this Friday.''

''One of those Chilton ones?''

Rory nodded.

''Do you guys wear your uniforms at those too or do you have some special party uniform that you wear?''

Rory rolled her eyes. ''Anyway,'' she said, emphasizing the word, ''she told me that the reason why she was convincing me to go to the party was because Tristan had asked her to.''

''Oh, about him, since we're both friends of you, I suggest that we meet one of these days so we can all become friends and maybe something more.''

''He's not Korean, Lane,'' Rory pointed out.

''He can be a blond Korean, those exist, you know. Brad Pitt is Korean.''

''He is not.''

''See how well he hides it?'' Lane said.

''Okay, fine, the next time he comes over, I will invite you over, too.''

''Good answer. Now go on with the story. Why didn't he just ask you to the party himself?''

''Well, apparently he liked me and was too shy to ask me himself,'' Rory continued.

''No offense, but he doesn't exactly sound like a shy person.''

''He isn't, he's just really really social,'' Rory said with the beginning of a smile.

''I have no clue what you're talking about, not even if we are talking in our secret friends code,'' Lane remarked.

Rory shrugged. ''You don't have to. Anyway, I confronted him with it and he told me that he just wanted me to have some fun.''

''That's a pretty decent cover up story.''

''Yeah, only it wasn't a cover up story.''

''You said yes, didn't you?'' Lane asked.

Rory nodded. ''Tristan and I are friends and I know that I normally don't go to these parties, but I figured that I should at least try it once before I graduate.''

''Save your convincing skills for Dean.''

Rory bit her lip before going on. ''Actually, I'm not going to tell him.''

''You're going to the party behind his back?''

''No, I mean, I'm going to tell him about the party, but I'm not going to tell him about meeting Tristan there. And the party is for people who go to Chilton only.''

''How convenient.'' Lane grinned. ''Looks like you've got this all figured out.''

Rory shrugged. ''There wasn't a lot to figure out.''

''Uhuh, all I know is that if you and Tristan hook up at the party, I wanna hear all the details.''

''Lane,'' Rory gave her friend a look, ''there will be no hooking up of any kind. I'm with Dean, remember him?''

''Vaguely, but I don't think Tristan will care who you're with.''

Rory snorted. ''That's why he's so 'social'.''

Lane started to chuckle, though she didn't completely understand what Rory was going on about. ''What?''

''Figure it out.'' Rory stuck out her tongue.

''Maturity is wasted on you, Ror.''

''Blame it on my role model.'' Rory took another sip of her coffee. ''So, I probably need something more fancy than a pair of jeans to wear to this party...''

''We'll go shopping for silk and satin tomorrow.''

''Thanks, best friend.''

''Any time, best friend.''

Rory smiled as she retrieved her phone from her bag and dialed her mom's number. She looked up to see if Luke was near before putting it to her ear.

''Hey, mom, I was wondering if you could get me out of this Friday night's dinner?''

* * *

REVIEW! Please? :-) Well, this chapter was kind of a filler, but I hope that it was sill sort of amusing to read and maybe even good. I know, I might be kidding myself. The next chapter will probably be the party that most of you have been waiting for, I think. Just lemme know what you think of this chapter and, though Tristan will go through with the bet (it may turn out horrible or it might turn out just slightly better than I, myself have expected), I was wondering what you think of him and what he's about to do.

This seemed to have become a standard message at the bottom of every one of my fics, but I am just saving you the 'agony' of wondering... Anyway, for anyone of you that cares, I also updated my Roswell fic _Alienated_, my new Lit _Homeboy _and I put up a new Trory one parter, _Follow My Lead. _So, if you have the time or interest... Thanks :-)


	8. Roll the Dice

Disclaimer: I don't know the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

A/N: Hey! :-) I'm not going to out any of my insecurities about this chapter now because I want you to form your own opinion, but please read the A/N at the bottom. I would like to thank _Alexia _for helping me with my grammar and punctuation; I really appreciate it because I'm actually getting better at it. Who would have ever thought that? :-) And thanks to _Ari _in advance for whatever she's going to say or do. :-)

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Roll the Dice

Rory turned off her ignition after carefully maneuvering her mom's jeep into an empty spot between two other cars, one a classy Mercedes and the other a sporty Ferrari, causing a twinge of embarrassment to reach her eyes for a second or two. It was a feeling that came and went. At moments, she couldn't help from feeling intimidated by the power and wealth that she found surrounding herself practically every day. The first few times it had even stung, but she had quickly realized that the money of the Chilton parents could indeed not buy the happiness their children were looking for. The only thing it bought was temporary satisfaction.

As soon as the roar of the engine faded, cutting off the music she had been playing, the monotone beats of some randomly selected track reached her ears, its vibrations trailing right behind it, creating writhing waves within her body as they ran through her. The music was loud enough to give her a headache if she listened too intently to it, closely enough to distinguish the different instruments that were being used. If she would have actually taken the time to really listen, it would have taken only a few minutes for a throbbing pain to appear only inches above her right eye, cutting through her as painfully as a knife every time she would so much as blink.

Pushing the music to a place in her mind where the tunes could be avoided and the words would be blurred into something incomprehensible, she looked at the scene that lay beyond her windshield while gripping the steering wheel with her hands. Cars were parked everywhere, their colors taken by the night; every car seemed a shade of silver underneath the moonlight that was dancing upon the smooth surfaces. More cars were being parked as she sat there; ignitions were turned off and people got out, dressed in their most becoming outfits as they headed for the large house that waited for them at the other end of the driveway. From what she could tell, the lights were on in every single room, showing a trail of people for her to follow that made their way up the driveway and through the beautiful garden with its many flowers and impressive stone fountain. Rory felt bad that the green field of grass would be littered with empty beer cans within the next couple of hours.

As the thought crossed her mind, she realized that she didn't belong here.

Rory reached for her keys, which were still swaying to and fro above her knees, and raked her fingers through them, making them jingle. She could turn the ignition back on with a twist of her wrist. She could leave and pretend she had never been here; no one would remember her, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to leave, not when she knew that someone was waiting for her.

With a sigh, she took her keys, grabbed her purse, and opened the door, tossing her keys into her bag as she got out of the car. She locked the door from the inside and closed it, leaning against it longer than necessary as she considered and then reconsidered, though a voice interrupted her childish evaluation of staying or going sooner that she had wanted.

''Rory!'' She twirled around as she tried to pinpoint the direction from where Maddie's voice seemed to be coming from. Her eyes landed on the dark haired girl even before her feet had found solid ground, though her eyes only remained focused for a few seconds before they found their next target. Rory found it hard to look away, amazed by the low jeans the doe-eyed girl was wearing. ''You came!''

Rory looked back up at the sound of Madeline's always chipper and carefree voice. ''Hey Madeline, Louise,'' she said, trying not to let her gaze slip to their belly revealing shirts and low cut jeans, though their painted faces were quite something to look at, too, with the precise strokes and carefully considered colors, they were small abstract masterpieces. Their stunning appearances made her feel slightly out of place in her simple black tank top and wine red flippy skirt, but more comfortable and not as self-conscious.

Louise nodded at Rory as the two girls drew closer while Madeline threw her a kind smile.

''You look amazing,. Doesn't she look amazing?!'' Madeline asked excitedly while looking from Rory to Louise and back again.

''Yeah, you look alright, definitely different from your Chilton uniform.''

''Thanks.'' Rory forced on a polite smile. ''You two look great, too.''

''Thanks.'' Madeline grinned as she slid her arm through Rory's. ''Now, let's go; the party is awaiting and so is Tristan,'' she softly added as they headed up the driveway.

Rory didn't respond as she let the two girls lead her through her garden and up to the door. She impatiently started to move from the left to the right on the balls of her heels as they waited for the door to open, hoping that Madeline would let go of her arm, but instead she just held on to it a little more firmly.

Madeline gave Rory an enthusiastic look before pulling her into the house. Even though they had only entered the hallway, Rory could clearly smell the scent of beer and the loudness of the music almost made her reach for her ears. People roughly pushed past them in their haste to get to the actual party.

Louise freed her arm from Madeline's and turned to look at them. ''I'm heading over to the living room. Are you two coming?''

Madeline looked over at Rory.

''Uhm, you two go ahead; I'm still taking all of this in. It's my first party and all.''

Louise rolled her eyes and crossed her arms while moving her gaze over to her best friend. ''Well...?'' When Madeline didn't immediately answer, Louise sighed. ''I don't want to stand here all night, playing babysitter. No offence.''

''None taken. You two don't have to stay with me,'' Rory explained, though her words were directed more towards Maddie than Louise. ''You two just go and have fun. I'll be fine, really.''

''Okay,'' Madeline said as she finally let go of Rory, ''We'll probably be on the dance floor so just come and find us when you want to.''

''Unless we're dancing with some cute guys,'' Louise warned.

Rory nodded. ''Got it.''

''Okay, see you around, Rory.''

''Bye.''

''Yeah, bye.'' Louise took a hold of Madeline's arm and started to pull her away from Rory and towards the other room. ''Newbie.''

At Louise's somewhat cruel comment, realization hit Rory once more. She didn't belong here. She wasn't used to all of this, all the noise and all the people. With one quick look around the room, she turned around, planning on making her departure swift and silent, unnoticed by anyone and she would have been able to slip out the door as invisible as an apparition if her body hadn't collided with someone else's. For a few seconds, she was pushed up against someone, but she recovered from the small shock quickly and placed her hands flat against a chest as she created a couple of inches of space between the two bodies, not realizing that two hands had already clasped themselves around her waist to help her regain her balance.

''Sorry, I wa-''

''On your way out?''

Rory recognized the faint amusement in the voice instantly and her eyes found his within a heartbeat as she became aware of his hands that were resting on her hips, holding her closer than needed. ''Tristan...''

He smiled at her, making sure that his sadness wouldn't leak through in his features, not wanting her to worry with something he was too ashamed of to tell her about now. He knew that he was a coward for thinking and acting like that, but in an awful way, he was trying to protect her, though he also knew that she may never understand or forgive.

''You weren't planning on standing me up, were you?''

''Do I look like one of your Barbie wannabes?'' she asked, finishing her sentence off sweetly with a smile.

Tristan let his gaze wander over her face, her lips carrying the faint glimmer of gloss and her cheeks shimmering with a light shade of blush as her hair framed her face in a girlishly messy manner. She looked sweet - too sweet to be hurt.

''And technically I'm not even able to stand you up because technically this is not a date and I have a boyfriend.''

''A boyfriend whom you lied to so you could run off to a party to meet me behind his back,'' Tristan said playfully, though his voice lost its teasing tone when he noticed the sad glow in her eyes - one he was able to catch right before she lowered her head, her hands still up against his chest, her purse dangling from the crook in between her lower and upper arm.

He reached for her hands with his and clasped them together within his own. He brought them to his mouth and tenderly kissed them. ''If it makes any difference, you look beautiful after having done all of that.''

It was strange that he cared about her feelings at the moment when he knew what lay ahead.

Rory smiled at his words, even though she tried not to. As a faint blush darkened her cheeks a little more, she looked at him through her lashes as she modestly took in how he looked in his black slacks and royal blue button up shirt. She wondered if she should tell him what she thought, but she knew that she didn't have to. ''Thank you.''

''I'm just telling the truth,'' Tristan said, smiling crookedly at her flustered response as she awkwardly freed her hands from his and brought them to her hair so she could tuck some loose strands behind her ears, her eyes skittishly moving from place to place, unable to look him in the eyes.

''Shall we go into the other room, Mary?'' he continued, amused by her behavior.

Rory nodded, still not looking at him as he past her, their arms lightly brushing against each other. To her surprise, he reached back for her hand and loosely wove his fingers through hers. She let him gently pull her into the other room, finding that two eyes weren't enough as she took in all that surrounded her, from the dancing couples on the dance floor, to the people that were lined up at the sides of it, sipping their beer or punch, to the enthralling staircase at the other end of the room. Various people glanced in their direction as they entered and nodded at Tristan; others yelled some sort of greeting and most of the girls leered at him over their cups or over the shoulders of their dates.

Rory felt uncomfortable by the different looks people were giving them and placed her free hand on Tristan's arm to get his attention. ''You don't have to keep me company, you know?''

Tristan looked at her over his shoulder. ''I know.''

''Good,'' Rory started as she caught a girl glaring at her from the corner of her eyes, ''because I don't want to keep you away from your fan club.''

''You aren't.''

She remained silent as Tristan led them to a fairly un-crowded area in the room.

''So what do we do now?'' Rory asked.

Tristan felt her hand slip out of his and let it happen. He turned around to face her and shrugged. ''Pretty much whatever you want to do.''

''I should have brought a book,'' she mumbled while glancing over at the dance area.

''A book?''

Rory looked back at him. ''Yeah, at least then I would have had something to do.''

''There are other things you can do,'' Tristan started, though he was almost instantly interrupted by her.

''Yeah, but I don't exactly consider getting drunk a fun way to pass the time.''

Tristan's eyes narrowed slightly as a veil of darkness seemed to cover them, trying to protect his emotions from her as best as he could, though he couldn't deny that it was even harder than he had thought.

''I told you that I wasn't the kind of person that went to parties. This only proves it. I'm bad at the whole social thing,'' Rory rambled. ''Well, maybe not at the entire social thing because I am known for my good public speaking skills, but then again, how many friends do you make while holding a speech or giving a presentation.''

''Slim to none unless you're a politician,'' Tristan remarked, waiting for Rory's attention to focus on him before continuing, ''and by other things, I meant dancing, an activity where you don't need any skills, not even the dancing ones.''

''Dancing?'' Rory repeated.

''Yeah.''

''Well, see, I can't exactly dance,'' she confessed.

''I don't believe that. Everyone can dance, even the ones who can't.''

Rory looked over at the dance floor before returning her gaze to Tristan. ''Well, then let me rephrase that, I don't dance. I just don't feel comfortable in front of so many people.''

''We can always go find a place more private so I can give you a personal dance lesson,'' Tristan said while moving closer to her, though he stopped as soon as she realized what he had said. It was unbelievable how easy he could slip into his usual routine without thinking and it was insensitive of him to slip into it now that he still had a clear conscience and no guilt to eat away at him

Rory noticed the change that came over him, the way he flexed his fingers before hooking them into his pockets, clawing his nails into the fabric, though the rest of his body remained unstrained. She saw the flicker in his eyes that lasted but half a second - the flicker of a dying flame that would steal all the light and shimmer from his eyes when it would finally die. His gaze gained an amount of admiration she had never seen before - admiration for the person that she was, though only he could place this particular definition behind it, knowing that she deserved all his respect and didn't deserve the hurt that came with the bet, but he lived for the power and fed on the popularity that came with his status and so did Matt.

It was a competition. It always was with his friends, with his parents. It was hard to keep his head above water when people around him were constantly trying to push him under. He knew that he always had to watch his back, but he had never expected Matt to stab him in the back. Of course, the friendly rivalry had always been there between them, but over the years it had turned into fierce competition.

Tristan had always been ahead of the game, earning envious glares from Matt whenever they passed each other in the halls, but now Matt had changed the rules to his will and had taken that lead, stolen it in an unfair way because he wanted to ruin the only genuine friendship Tristan still had out of pure jealousy and desperate hate. It was about the closeness between the girl and Tristan and simply just about the girl, especially one that was untouchable to anyone but Tristan if he only dared to make a move.

When Tristan realized that Rory was looking at him with curious intensity, he knew that the silence had lasted too long. He attempted to regain his usual composure by trying to look confident, already knowing that he would fail.

''Why do you do that?''

Tristan absently shrugged as he looked around the room for something to distract her from digging and him from thinking, wondering. He spotted the large glass bowl with bright red content. Perfect. He turned his head to look at her, though his eyes looked directly past her face.

''Do you want some punch? I'm not sure why people still serve it at parties when everyone, well, almost everything drinks beer...maybe it has something to do with the sweet taste... So, Mary, tell me, are you in the mood for something sweet because I am.''

Rory sighed before nodding. ''Yeah, sure, I would love some punch.''

''I'll be right back then.''

Rory watched him dive and disappear into the sea of people around her. Most of them were either drinking or dancing, but some were already drunk enough to head upstairs. She wondered if that's why parties like these were so popular. She grimaced at the thought as she averted her eyes, being slightly startled by the person next to her that had seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

''Matt.''

Matt grinned at her. ''Hey, Rory. What are you doing here?'' Rory looked at him, scarcely offended by his words. Matt raised both of his hands in protest before she could say anything. ''I didn't mean to offend you; I have just never seen you at one of these parties before, that's all.''

Rory smiled at him, a little embarrassed by the rashness of her assumption. ''A lot of convincing has been done to get me here, trust me.''

Matt softly laughed at her words before he continued. ''Did you come here alone?''

''Well, yeah, I did come here alone, but I am here with someone, sort of anyway.''

''Really?'' he asked, his eyes glimmering with an emotion Rory couldn't place.

''Yeah, I'm here with Tristan, actually. He kind of convinced me to come to this party, something about me having fun or something. It's a friends thing.''

''Yeah, I know how close you and Tristan are,'' Matt said.

''Let's just keep it to we can stand each other.''

Matt chuckled. ''Okay.''

''Tristan's just getting some punch.''

''Punch, huh?''

''Yeah,'' Rory answered, ''he'll be back in a minute if you wanna wait.''

''No, that's alright. We see enough of each other at school and I have friends waiting for me so if you don't mind...''

''No, of course not. It was nice talking to you.''

''You, too. I'll be seeing you, Rory,'' Matt said as he slithered off into the crowd.

''What did he want?''

Rory turned around to look at her friend. His tone reminded her of the fact that he didn't like Matt as much as she did so she simply shrugged.

''He was just surprised to see me here.''

''I bet,'' Tristan said as he handed Rory her punch.

''Doesn't punch usually get spiked?'' she asked while taking the cup from him.

''That's what the movies want you to believe. Nowadays, no one even bothers to spike it because hardly anyone ever drinks it.'' He took a gulp of his own punch to prove his fact.

Rory did the same and couldn't taste anything but sugar and fruit. Tristan looked at her as he finished his punch with a few more gulps.

''This is really good. I can't believe I've never had punch before,'' Rory said before taking a few more sips of the beverage.

''Yeah, well, there's no caffeine in it, but it's still likeable.''

''You can't compare coffee with punch. They are entirely different from one and other, but you are right, punch is totally likeable.''

Tristan watched as she finished her drink. ''I'm going to get a bottle of beer so I can wash away the horrible taste of it. Do you want some more punch?''

''What horrible taste? Fruit and sugar are both tasty and good for you.''

Tristan rolled his eyes. ''I'm not even sure if you should have a second cup of punch.''

''And I'm not sure you should have beer. You still need to drive, you know?''

Tristan took her empty cup from her. ''Spare me the don't drink and drive speech; I've already gotten it from my parents and one beer won't do any harm.''

''Just one beer?'' Rory asked skeptically.

''I'll make you a deal. I'll stick with one bottle of beer and you can have all the punch you want.''

Rory smiled. ''Can I even have a sugar rush?''

''I'm going to get the drinks,'' Tristan said before turning around and heading into the mass of people once more.

When he reached the table with the beverages, he filled Rory's cup with punch, exactly three quarters, and backed himself into a wall in the corner a few feet away from the table. As he balanced the cup in one hand, he reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a silver flask, engraved with a date, his grandfather's birthday. His grandfather had given it to him on his sixteenth birthday with the message that he could fill it up with his favorite alcoholic beverage only when he was old enough to drink, but at parties like these, no one cared about whether you were allowed to drink or not and technically, he was only having beer.

Tristan unscrewed the top and was instantly greeted by the smell of whisky that was already a few years old. He had stolen it from his father's liquor cabinet. He poured some of it into the punch, filling up the remaining quarter of the cup, before screwing the top back on and slipping it back in his back pocket. As he passed the table, he grabbed a cold bottle of beer. It would numb his conscience long enough for him to go through with everything.

He handed Rory the punch. This time he didn't watch as she drank it, instead he looked around the party while taking a sip of his beer every now and then. It was the only beer he had the entire night, but Rory's second cup of punch followed by a third one and even a fourth one once she had gone to the bathroom.

''Do you want to dance?'' Rory asked out of the blue, her fourth cup of punch empty in her hands.

''I thought you didn't dance?''

Rory shrugged as she placed the empty cup on a nearby table. ''No one seems to be paying attention to each other and the spinning seems fun.''

''Spinning?'' Tristan asked, eyebrow raised as he looked over at the dance floor.

Rory grabbed him by the arm and started to pull him in the direction of the dance floor and he didn't protest. Once they found a spot, Rory turned around and only came to a halt because Tristan held on to her with both of his arms.

''Are you okay?''

''Yeah, the spinning is just going a little too fast,'' Rory said, freeing her arms from Tristan and taking a few stumbling steps back. She looked up at Tristan and smiled, though her smile faded as she reached for her head with both hands. ''Tris...I think I should sit down.''

Tristan didn't say anything as he took her by the hand and led her over to an empty chair. He watched her sit down with a troubled expression, knowing that he was the reason behind it. He thought about just taking her home and leaving all of this behind them, but he knew that this was his opportunity to grab and that everything could be over and done with after tonight. He was risking their friendship, but he was sacrificing it to protect her from Matt's leering eyes and groping hands. She would forgive him because it wouldn't be as bad as Tristan had thought it would be. Matt would get his pictures and Rory would keep her chastity, though the price she would have to pay would still be high. Tristan hated Matt for doing this - for making him betray Rory like Matt had betrayed him.

''Are you okay?'' he asked again.

''Yeah, I'm just a little dizzy.''

''You should lay down for a little while,'' Tristan said.

''I don't know...''

''Just until you feel well enough to drive.''

''No, I'm sure it'll pass,'' Rory said, though she had now closed her eyes to keep the images around her from spinning.

''You're too stubborn for your own good,'' Tristan remarked as he reached for her arm and slowly helped her up. ''I am getting you to a bed so you can lie down.'' He wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her from stumbling and headed for the stairs in a steady pace.

''I can't lie down on a bed that belongs to somebody else. I don't even know the guy who threw this party,'' Rory mumbled, though she didn't fight Tristan as he started to help her up the stairs, taking it step by step.

Rory struggled to keep her eyes open. With every step she took, everything within her sight seemed to spin even faster, twirling around and around in a pace she couldn't hang on to. It made her feel sick, almost nauseous and she reached for Tristan's free arm with her left hand, thankful that there was something for her to lean on. As soon as her head touched his chest, her eyes closed. She was tired. Tristan was right, she should lay down somewhere and she was beyond the point of caring where; all she wanted was to feel better again, to feel normal.

''Are we almost there?'' she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

''Yeah,'' Tristan said as he looked at her. It hurt to see her like this and it stung to know that after tonight, their friendship might be over. ''We're almost there. We just have to find a room that's not occupied.''

''Okay.''

Rory heard Tristan open a door and she could feel the air shift around her as he led her into the room, her eyes still closed. He guided her over to the bed. She heard the rustle of blankets and opened her eyes to a crack to see him pulling the covers to the side. She lay down, feeling too horrible to wait for him to say so. She slid underneath the covers and Tristan pulled them up to just above the hem of her top. Her purse was trapped between the mattress and her arm - a soft mattress; it felt as if she was lying on top of a pile of feathers. She mumbled a 'thank you' before giving into the slumber that had taken over her suddenly.

Tristan silently shut and locked the door of the small bedroom, not wanting anyone to be able to just wander in. He leaned against it as he looked at her. The camera was right there in his right back pocket, but he knew that he couldn't take the pictures just yet. She didn't look right. He made his way over to the bed and hovered over her for a few minutes. His gaze was blank as he looked at her face, peaceful now that she was lying down. It was wrong. She was barely conscious. Still, he leaned in and kissed her, like the prince did in fairy tales like _Snow White_ and _Sleeping Beauty_, only this wasn't one of those; it was a nightmare he couldn't seem to wake up from. As he kissed her, he made the mistake to keep his eyes open. He saw her fair face from up close, but the picture wasn't right; her eyes were closed and the only thing she did in protest was moan, not having the will or strength to do anything else. He quickly pulled back. She was so vulnerable and he didn't think that he could do it.

His eyes went to her lips, realizing that he had smudged her gloss and that the area around her lips was now also a light shade of pink. It looked as if they had kissed when all he managed to do was place a quick peck on her lips. An idea came to him - one that might actually work.

It took him only a couple of minutes to copy the scene which he had created in his head. He didn't have to do much. Her gloss was already smeared and the covers reached just above her breasts and after he had slid both of the straps of her top halfway down her arms, it looked as if she was wearing nothing at all. Her left arm was hidden underneath the covers and the top half of her right was placed on top of the covers. All of that were the easy illusions he could just pull out of his head, but the last piece of imaginary was more tricky.

''Rory,'' he said as he took a hold of the covers with one hand. He wanted her to be aware of what he was doing. He wanted to give her a chance to fight, stop him, but all she did was softly utter his name and turn her head in his direction, though her eyes never opened.

He slid his free hand underneath the covers, keeping his eyes fixed on her closed ones as he lightly placed his hand on her skirt. When she didn't so much as stir, he started to push it up, inch by inch until he could feel the fabric of her underwear beneath the palm of his hand. He quickly slid his hand down to her knee, not wanting to invade her privacy more than he already was. He placed his hand underneath her knee and started to tug at her leg, slowly pulling it out from underneath the covers. His eyes never leaving her face. He positioned it on top of the covers like she was hugging them with it. When he finally let go and took a step back, her right leg was revealed up to her hips, though not high enough to show her underwear.

He wanted so desperately to look away, but he knew that he couldn't, not yet. He still had to take the pictures, but having her sleeping form in it wouldn't be satisfactory for Matt so Tristan said her name over and over, forcing her to open her eyes and look at him. He held the camera in his hands where she could see, not bothering to hide it from her.

''What are you doing?''

Tristan shrugged and forced on a smile. ''This is probably going to be your first and only time at a party so I thought I would capture it.'' He explained it with false ease, brushing it off like it was nothing.

''Now?''

''Hey, nothing says wild party girl more than a picture of you lying in someone else's bed, feeling sick.''

Rory smiled at him, her eyes big with pure amusement. It was the perfect shot and he took it. He even took two, just in case.

Rory lowered her eyes shyly, landing on her bare leg which was sprawled out on top of the covers. She suppressed both her dizziness and sleepiness for a couple of minutes in her confusion. She brought her hand to her thigh as if she wanted to confirm that she wasn't dreaming. Her eyes instantly flew over to Tristan, seeking an explanation he wouldn't give. ''Tristan...''

He was tempted to take another picture, but instead he slipped the camera back into his pocket, not wanting to remember this night, though his guilt would hold him captive forever from now on. ''I tried to cover you up, but you wouldn't let me.''

''I don't remember...''

''That's because you don't feel well. You always think about being sick when you're sick. It's like telling someone not to blink, they will focus on not blinking so much that they can't stop,'' Tristan explained, feeling nervous for the first time this evening.

''I guess.'' Rory pushed herself up a little with the help of her elbows, moaning at the sudden shift of her vision and the abrupt twirl of colors, causing her to shut her eyes.

Tristan hurried over to her, worried about her. He had seen this before when his friends had gotten drunk, but he was worried, nonetheless. ''What are you doing?''

''What does it look like I'm doing?'' Rory asked, impatiently snapping at Tristan. ''I don't want to stay here all night. I just want to go home and be sick there.''

''Okay,'' Tristan said, ''just let me help you.''

Rory nodded as she reached out her hand for him to take. He pulled her up in one swift movement and was ready to catch her when she lost her balance and stumbled up against him. He wanted to take a step back to look at her, but refrained from doing so when she nestled her head against his chest, wanting a minute or two to get used to the spinning. He wrapped an arm around her waist. With the other, he straightened her skirt without her noticing, pulling it back down to cover her thighs before resting his hand on the small of her back. The damage had been done and there was nothing he could do but hold her, fearing that she wouldn't let him near her once she found out. Tristan kissed her hair. ''I'll drive you home.''

-x-x-x-

At the Gilmore residence, Tristan kept his car running as he got out and headed over to the other side of the car. He opened up the passenger side door and helped Rory out of the car. Once again, his arm went around her waist as he guided her towards the house and up the steps to the door where he rang the doorbell in misery, though it was still at its early stages. It would surely become much worse.

When the door opened, Lorelai stood there sleepily until she became aware of the state her daughter was in and fully awoke. She didn't ask any questions as she opened the door wide enough for Tristan to enter. He brought Rory to her room where he carefully helped her onto the bed. Her eyes opened once to look at him, but closed immediately after which he didn't mind. He took off her shoes and took her purse from her before covering her with a blanket.

His apology came out as a whisper no one would have been able to catch, not even Rory.

Finally, after making sure that she was asleep, he turned around and exited the room, closing the door softly behind him, ready to confront Lorelai who had been waiting for him in the kitchen, worried expression in place.

''Is my baby okay?''

Tristan nodded. ''Yeah, she just drank the punch at the party and it ended up being spiked.''

''They still do that?'' Lorelai asked.

''Unfortunately. I didn't know.''

''Of course you didn't. Thanks for taking care of her and bringing her home, I, we appreciate it,'' Lorelai thankfully said.

Tristan nodded. ''She'll probably have a headache in the morning, but other than that, she'll probably be fine.''

''Thanks, Tristan.'' Lorelai smiled. ''You better get home too before your parents get worried.''

''Yeah.'' Tristan followed Lorelai to the door. ''Oh, I forgot about Rory's car; it's still at the party. I'll pick it up tomorrow and return it.''

''Yeah, tomorrow's fine. Just don't make it too early; we like to sleep late and you deserve your sleep, too.''

''I'll be alright,'' Tristan said.

''Oh, do you have the keys to the car?''

Tristan shook his head.

''Let me get them for you.''

Lorelai disappeared into the living room and dug around in a drawer until she found the spare keys to her jeep. She handed them to Tristan.

''Thanks again. I'll see you tomorrow.''

''Yeah, goodnight, Lorelai,'' he said as he went outside, not looking back as he headed for his car, the camera safely hidden away in his back pocket.

* * *

REVIEW! Please? :-) So...I know that most of you have waited for this chapter and that's why I hope that I did it justice. I knew from the beginning that Tristan wouldn't actually force Rory to sleep with him because I wanted for him to have at least some sort of a conscience, but I also didn't want him to back out of the bet because in this story he isn't the kind of person to do that; he cares a lot about his popularity, his power and cares about what people think of him.

I hope you liked it and I am curious about your opinions on everything, from my writing to Tristan's behavior and to Matt showing up. There's a lot of details and descriptions in it, but that's how I prefer to write so if you don't like that style of writing then don't read it; I know some people may find it tiring or whatever, but I like it. :-) Thanks :-)


	9. Sticks and Stones may Break my Bones

Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

A/N: Don't have a lot to say, but I do want to thank _Alexia_ for beta-ing and be sure to read the A/N at the bottom for the thank you's. Enjoy! :-)

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Sticks and Stones may Break my Bones...

The next morning, Rory woke with a start, her eyes flying open and her nails clawing at her sheets as if she had come tumbling straight out of a dream. She desperately tried not to let it slip from her mind, but it was hard to hold on to a dream she couldn't remember; the images blurred quickly and the words faded even faster. She squinted her eyes as she dug into her memory, looking for a scattered piece of information that would help her remember.

The one she stumbled across was unclear to her, though she could distinguish that it was a face, a familiar one; she recognized the shade of blue that colored the eyes, it was an unmistakable shade, one she had observed when no one was watching, not even him. To let him catch her was unthinkable because if his eyes would find hers during one of those observations, she wouldn't know how to react, if she should turn her face away or look directly at him. It was true that they were only friends, but once in a while, when they were sitting next to each other with their knees touching, her head against his shoulder and his arm loosely wrapped around her, the thought of maybe being more crossed her mind. It was one of those crazy 'what if's' that made her smile every time and still she hadn't figured out what that meant. All she knew was that sometimes, on rare occasions, he would be bearable to be around and on those days, she wanted nothing more but to be near him.

Rory clenched her hands into fists in her restlessness, balling some of the sheets' fabric between her fingers. She forced herself up into a sitting position, pulling at the sheets for support. She became aware of the slight headache she had, but didn't lay back down. She wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, not when there was so much to think about, so much to remember. She managed to put the puzzle pieces of her memory in the correct order before plowing through it. Her awkward entrance, Tristan gently clasping her hand to lead her to the living room, dancing with him, all came flooding back to her without warning, like a dam breaking. A frown appeared on her face and deepened when she remembered something else: a flash that seemed brighter than it really was, a room that was just a little too dark, Tristan saying something to her about her being sick at her very first party... For a second more, she wondered, but brushed it off soon after. It couldn't have been more than some kind of nervous breakdown that had made her sick to her stomach.

She threw her covers aside and got up out of bed, standing unsteady on her feet for a couple of seconds before making her way over to the bathroom.

-x-x-x-

Rory departed a good hour later, her hair wet and disheveled, her clothes too big, and her feet bare. She didn't have to care about whether she looked presentable or not because there was no one to care, no one to judge and it felt liberating. She crossed her room with a few tip toeing steps and reached for the doorknob, opening the door with a slight turn of her wrist. She entered the kitchen quietly, though her mom didn't miss a move she made. Lorelai remained seated and didn't look up from the business section of the morning paper, while listening to her daughter's soft footsteps as they approached her at a slow and unsure pace. When Rory sat down across from her, she glanced up and moved the paper to the side, reaching for her coffee instead.

''Morning, sweets.'' Lorelai took a sip of her coffee, taking in Rory's tired features. ''Can I get you anything?''

''Coffee and some aspirin, please.''

''Are you okay?'' Lorelai asked while placing her cup back on the table. She hurriedly got up to pour her daughter some coffee.

''Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a small headache.''

''How small?'' Lorelai asked, her eyebrow raised as she looked at Rory over her shoulder, her hand resting on the pot of coffee.

''What do you mean how small?''

''I mean, is it Lilliputian small or dwarf tiny,'' Lorelai half-heartedly joked as she poured some of the black coffee into one of their collectible _Power Puff _mugs, making sure not to add any milk or sugar.

''It's small enough for Mr. Aspirin to fix,'' Rory answered as she watched her mom snatch a couple of aspirin out of the package.

''I always knew that that whole 'an apple a day thing' was one big lie,'' Lorelai said as she picked up the cup and headed back over to the kitchen table. ''It's just another one of those marketing schemes that those guys who sell apples make up so everyone will buy their daily dose of apples.'' Lorelai placed both the coffee and aspirin on the table before sitting down.

''Apples are good,'' Rory said, reaching for the aspirin.

Lorelai kept a close watch on her while she took them with the help of a large gulp of coffee. ''Are you feeling any better?''

''I think the aspirin needs some time to enter the bloodstream.''

''Right.... But besides the midget like headache, there are no other classic symptoms?'' Lorelai asked, unable to stop worrying because Rory had never been drunk before.

''Classic symptoms?''

''Yeah, you know, the throwing up until you feel better one and the entire room is spinning one.''

Rory smiled. ''What are you talking about?''

''Oh, right, you don't remember, I forgot that one.''

''Mom?'' Rory said, looking at her mom for a further explanation.

Lorelai sighed. ''You were drunk last night, sweets. Tristan had to take you home.''

Rory laughed. ''Mom, I was just a little out of it. I must have been really nervous or something, that's all.''

''Well, unless you get tired from being nervous or wake up with a headache...'' Lorelai sighed when she saw the confusion on Rory's face, comprehending that Tristan hadn't told her about the punch. She reached out for Rory's hand and took it in her own. ''Hon, punch gets spiked a lot at these kind of parties, it's like an unwritten tradition to do so.''

''But Tristan said...''

''I know. He didn't know that the punch had been spiked and since you have never drank any alcohol before, you were vulnerable to it,'' Lorelai explained, gently rubbing her daughter's knuckles with her thumb.

''Vulnerable,'' Rory repeated, trying to remember Tristan's words exactly. She remembered him getting her punch, every time she asked, he had gotten her another cup; she couldn't get enough of it. The taste had been addictive to her, though he only had one cup.

''I know,'' Lorelai said. ''As a good mom, I should have prepared you for this party. I should have offered you a beer every night so you would have been able to keep up with all of those big boys.''

Rory threw her mom a small smile, though she couldn't believe that she had actually been drunk at a party without being aware of it. A shiver ran through her when she suddenly remembered how she had pulled Tristan onto the dance floor and how everything had started spinning faster and faster. Just thinking about how the room had rotated before her eyes made her feel sick as if she need to throw up. Even the bitter taste was there. ''I forgive you,'' she finally said, earning a smile from her mom and a quick kiss on her hand.

''Are you sure you're okay?''

Rory smiled again. ''I'm even up for breakfast.''

Lorelai opened her mouth to say something, but was abruptly cut off by their doorbell. She looked at Rory. ''Hold that thought.''

Rory nodded, though her mother had already gotten up. She silently counted the seconds it took her mom to reach the door, a second for each step. She heard the door open, followed by her mom's greeting, the tone of her voice excited and cheerful, hinting that it was someone she knew well, though in this town no one was a stranger. She turned her head back towards the table and glanced down at her coffee. She recognized his voice immediately and listened as her mom invited him into the house.

When her mom returned to the kitchen with him trailing right behind her, Rory was still sitting there, staring at her coffee as if she was deep in thought. She was unaware of his gaze as he watched her, lost in his own thoughts.

''Ror, look who's here.''

Rory looked up, her eyes finding his with practiced ease. ''Hey, Tristan.'' She smiled, he broke, though he managed to return her smile. ''Morning, Mary.'' Inwardly, he flinched. He wasn't proud of the act he was keeping up so finely; it pained him more than he was allowed to show.

''What are you doing here?'' Rory asked. ''We didn't make any plans, did we because if we did, I can't exactly remember doing so.''

Tristan shook his head. ''No, no plans.'' He fished the spare keys to Lorelai's jeep out of his pockets and held them out for her to see. ''I just came to return your mom's car.''

''For which I thank you dearly,'' Lorelai said while taking them from him.

Tristan shrugged. ''It's the least I can do.'' He looked over at Rory. Lorelai saw and left the room, mumbling something about returning the keys to their rightful drawer. The silence she left them with was awkward, one they hadn't come across before. Rory watched him run a hand through his hair a couple of times, wondering if there was something on his mind. ''Tristan, are you okay?'' she carefully started.

''Yeah, I just came to return the car.''

''Which you did and we are more than grateful for.''

''Yeah...'' His voice trailed off, just like his eyes as he distanced himself from her for a few seconds. It had always bothered her how easily he could just pull away like that and leave her out in the cold.

''Listen, Rory, I just wanted to apologize for convincing you to go to that party. I know that it wasn't your thing and I should have just backed off.''

''It's okay.''

''It's not, I mean, you got drunk; I let you get drunk,'' he stated, wanting to go on, but didn't; it was too late for apologies or explanations.

''It's not your fault,'' Rory said. ''You didn't know that the punch would be spiked, right?''

Tristan swallowed. ''Right.''

''Then there's no harm done.''

''I doubt it,'' he murmured.

''No, really, I feel fine. I just have a headache and Mr. Aspirin is already working his magic on that.''

''He sounds reliable,'' Tristan remarked.

Rory smiled. ''He is.'' She didn't realize how much her answer had struck him, hurt him, even more than the guilt that had started carving its permanent mark in his soul days and days ago.

''I better get going. My parents insisted on having a limo follow me so it could take me back home.''

''Yeah, sure. I'll see at school on Monday.''

''You will,'' he returned, trying his best to sound normal. ''See you later.''

''Bye,'' she said when the door had already closed behind him. She reached for her coffee, gingerly running her fingers over the surface. It was cold.

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REVIEW! Please? :-) First of all, thank again for having so much patience with me. I know that I haven't been able to update frequently, but I am definitely trying my best not to slack on this story as well as on my other ones. Second of all, thanks again for reading; I really appreciate you taking some time out of your busy schedules...or maybe that's just me? :-) And last but not least, I want to thank everyone for reviews on the last chapter. It was an important chapter, a crucial one and your kind words gave me a feeling that I at least did something right so thanks. :-)


	10. Out of Place

Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the words that flow from it...which eventually lead to a plot. :-)

A/N: Hey :-) I've been thinking of just skipping the first A/N, but then I changed my mind because putting just the disclaimer looks kind of weird to me, plus I always use this A/N to thank _Alexia_, my beta whom has looked through this once again for me. :-)

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Out of Place

Rory stood in front of her locker, bag at her feet and books in hand, caught in mid air as she ran through her thoughts aimlessly, searching for something that was on the edge of her mind, an unknown weight that rested upon her shoulders. Her back solemnly faced the empty hallway, making her seem more comfortable and less out of place; no matter how much she looked like all the other girls in her plaid skirt, she would never be able to blend in with them; she would always stand out from the crowd, even if she didn't want to. There was no way to hide from their peering eyes; there was no way out, no matter how hard she tried to be invisible. The cause of the unwanted attention: her friendship with Tristan, the blond haired aristocrat whose attention girls craved for, even the ones whose hearts he had broken because he simply could.

Here, he didn't have to walk on eggshells, afraid to disappoint; instead, he stepped on feelings, bent hope to his own will and broke hearts that should have remained untouched in the first place. Afterwards, he drowned out their cries, fully well knowing that they would be standing in line with the others the next day, awaiting a second chance that would never come. It hurt him more than anyone would ever expected, but with his status came sacrifice, words she would never be able to comprehend because she didn't live his life. Rory didn't know how hard it was to be him and that was how he had wanted to keep it, uncomplicated, though he had tightened the knots in the strings that were attached himself.

She put the books she had been holding in her locker, placing them on top of each other to create a neat stack as she listened to the silence around here, wondering where everyone could have possibly gone; besides a handful of people, everyone else always arrived at class at least a few minutes after the bell had already rung. After giving her locker one last inspection, she closed it, releasing a sigh that turned into a gasp as she hastily inhaled a wisp of air, noticing Paris standing next to her locker.

''You know, it's surprising how much you resemble a _Jack in the Box _sometimes, popping up at places unexpectedly,'' Rory commented while turning her body a little so she could look at Paris.

''It's amazing how this is yet another comparison that absolutely makes no sense at all; first of all, unless I have a middle name I don't know about, my name is not _Jack _and second of all, I don't have a box so therefor, I am not in the box.''

''Maybe not, but I bet the fun is,'' Rory said, slightly amused at how serious Paris always seemed to take everything.

''Oh yeah, I ditched the doll first so I would have more room for the fun that I sucked out of people with my fun sucking machine.''

Rory stifled a laugh, but couldn't suppress a smile from appearing on her face. ''Fun sucking machine?''

''Yeah, well, we both know I'm not exactly a wild and crazy party animal so I decided why should they have a life when I have none,'' Paris explained, her brow wrinkling at the intensity of her own words.

''Good thinking.''

''I heard you went to a party,'' she pointed out.

''I did.''

''And?''

''And what?'' Rory asked.

''And, how was it? Was the music hip, the punch happening, did someone attack someone else with a broken beer bottle?''

''Well,'' Rory started, ''I think someone did crush an empty beer can against their head. You were there, so you must have seen it.''

''How did you know I was there?''

''Madeline said you would be there.''

''And you actually saw me there, talked to me?'' Paris continued.

''Well, I didn't see you per say, but...''

''You just assumed that I was there because my mom always makes me go to those stupid parties,'' Paris finished for her.

Rory smiled sheepishly. ''Maybe there was a bit of assuming.''

Paris shrugged. ''I can't blame you, I guess. I doubt you would have noticed me anyway if I had gone to the party.''

''Sure I would have, though I have to admit that sometimes it is hard to spot you, hiding out in a corner in the darkness.''

''Said the wallflower herself...'' Paris mumbled.

''So, why weren't you there? Was your mom out of town?''

Paris shook her head. ''About two hours before the party, I started to feel really sick and at first, my mom didn't believe me because in her eyes you are fine until an ambulance needs to be called, so I locked myself in the bathroom and made vomit noises until she gave in and agreed to let me stay in for the night. Of course, she thought I had some kind of eating disorder so for the next couple of hours she kept sending food up and maids to accompany it just to make sure that I wouldn't throw up or anything; apparently the toast she buys is too expensive to eat and then throw up.''

''Has anyone ever told you you're amazing with details. Really, if I close my eyes, I can visualize you throwing up.''

''Only I never did throw up.''

''Noted,'' Rory remarked.

''I mean, I know that throwing up can give you some kind of relieved feeling, but I have never done it so I wouldn't know, unless I'm sick, of course which you have done, too, I'm sure.''

''Yeah...''

''I do regret not going, though because according to Madeline and Louise the event of the year took place during that party and I wasn't there to witness it...or prevent it.''

''Event?'' Rory tilted her head a little and shot her a questioning look, wondering what she meant. ''There was no fight as far I know and I was there...''

''But not on the first floor, right?'' Paris interrupted.

Rory furrowed her brow. ''The party was on the first floor so naturally I was, too.''

''I heard the real party was on the second floor...''

''Paris, what are you talking about?''

The blond haired girl sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. ''Were you there, on the second floor somewhere during the night?''

Rory didn't answer immediately as if she had to think about her answer for a minute or two. ''Well, uh...yeah, I got dizzy and went up there to lie down, away from the crowd.''

''Alone?'' Paris asked while raising an eyebrow.

Rory shook her head. ''No, Tristan was there, too; he helped me up the stairs.''

''Ah, him...''

''Yeah...'' Rory watched as Paris suddenly averted her eyes from hers. ''Paris, what are you not telling me?''

With a defeated sigh, she reached for Rory's arm and gently clasped it. ''Come on, let's go and see if any of the teachers are sick.''

''But...''

''Just come with me, okay?''

She briefly met Paris's gaze before finally nodding. ''Okay.'' Paris let go of her arm so she could get her bag. She followed Paris without saying a word, not fully comprehending the sudden change of subject, though her other question was close to be answered the moment they entered the main hall. It was crowded with Chiltonites, some standing to the side, though the most of them were huddled in front of the large notice board on the far left wall.

''What's going on?'' Rory whispered, instantly noticing how everyone's gaze shifted towards her the moment she entered the room, trying not to pay too much attention to it.

Again, Paris sighed and reached for her arm. ''Come on,'' she softly said and started leading her towards the other side of the room. The closer they came to the crowd, the more eyes were fixed on her, including Tristan's whom stood at the back of the large group, watching Rory approach the board in agony. His suffering only increased when she found his eyes within the crowd. He could tell that she wanted to walk up to him for comfort she wouldn't get and he couldn't give. Paris, however shot Rory a look that stopped her from pulling herself out of her grasp, instead she let herself be pulled towards the staring crowd and through it; it parted the moment she reached it, making her even more curious to what was about to come.

They came to a halt. ''I'm sorry,'' was all Paris said before letting go of Rory's arm and looking at the notice board over her shoulder. Rory wanted to ask another question, but refrained from doing so and turned around, wanting to know why everyone was acting like this and being so quiet. The moment her eyes found the board, she wished that she would wake up from whatever nightmare she was having. She took another step towards the board, getting an even closer look at the pair of pictures that had been hung on it. The feeling of that night sunk back into her like quick sand, making her feel heavy and disorientated. Rory turned her head, quicker than she should have; blood rushed to her brain and the room started to spin slowly. She looked at Tristan with disbelief, angry at him for not even trying to hide from her.

''I was dizzy and you...you helped me,'' she accusingly said, wanting him to deny ever taking any pictures that night even when she wouldn't believe it herself; she had seen the camera herself and now she had seen the pictures. She knew what it looked like and what people would assume. ''We're friends,'' she said, her voice already strained with tears that were on the border of falling.

''And what a good friend he is,'' Matt said from his sudden appearance next to Tristan. He placed his hand on Tristan's shoulder and squeezed it. ''Looks like your mission has been completed,'' he continued, loud enough for Rory to hear.

Tristan shrugged of his hand just as he caught a glimpse of the first tear sliding across Rory's cheek. With a heartbroken expression, she turned around and fled from the room.

Paris shook her head and met Tristan's gaze with cold eyes. ''For as long as I've known you and been friends with you, for as long Rory's known you and...'' Paris paused for a second to calm herself, looking down at the ground before bringing her eyes back up to his. ''Jerk.''

She also left the room.

Tristan stood there next to Matt, listening to the whispers as people talked about him until the bell rang, leaving the hallway one by one because they had to get to their classes. As the room was left empty, he headed towards the board. ''I'm taking those pictures off and destroying them.''

Matt shrugged. ''Do what you want with them; they're your pictures and I didn't make any copies, though I was tempted to... Besides, the damage has already been done.''

Tristan gritted his teeth as he waited for Matt to leave the room, ripping the pictures off the board the second he disappeared.

Meanwhile, Rory had locked herself in the bathroom, not listening to Paris as she knocked on the door and called her name. She didn't care about anything at the moment. All she wanted to do was sit there and cry and feel sorry for herself; for this once she was allowed to. It hurt to know that she hadn't known what he had been up to and it hurt to know that yesterday he had waltzed into her house with the plan already in mind and didn't say anything to her, not a word. And it hurt even more to know that she had trusted him.

''Rory!'' Paris tried once more.

''Go away,'' she said, her voice muffled by her hands which she had pressed against her face the moment she had locked the bathroom door behind her, not wanting to see her own reflection in the large mirrors that hung across from her, afraid that she would look broken.

''Would you open the door?!'' Paris sighed on the other end of the door. ''Please?!''

It took Rory a few more minutes to get up from her position on the floor and make her way over to the door, trying her best to stop from crying, but once she had reached the door, she didn't find herself caring more. She unlocked it and slipped back down to the floor, her back against the wall.

She didn't make it to her next class.

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REVIEW! Please? :-) Before I continue with another meaningless message (my way to kill time and fill space) I want to thank all of you who have reviewed this story so far. It doesn't matter if you have reviewed every chapter (though it is nice to know that I have a couple of familiar 'faces' hanging around) or have reviewed just one; I am thankful either way. :-) I hope you liked this chapter and I am curious to know what you guys think of, well, everything actually. Paris's character in this chapter, Rory's reaction, the little role Matt had and, of course Tristan... I don't know how many chapters I still have to write for this chapter so I hope you guys are still willing to stick with me for a little while. Thanks! :-)****


	11. The Brightest of Yellows

Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

A/N: It's been a little while since I've updated and for that I apologize, I also apologize for its shortness, but that's how this chapter worked out. And thanks to _Alexia _for going through yet another chapter. :-)

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The Brightest of Yellows

Even the brightest of yellows eventually fade...

Her footsteps echoed sullenly as she made her way down the steps, a reflection of her own state of being. Her eyes were cast down as she walked past her peers, trying to make herself as small as possible and wishing herself invisible, something that had proved to be impossible time after time. Heads were lifted and curious glances were aimed at her as soon as she had walked by, some handling it more subtly than others who stared at her openly without any shame. Whispers too soft for her to catch, swiveled through the corridors. She held back tears as she went on, having to carry the burden on her own, with the exception of Paris; she hadn't told anyone about what had happened only a day ago. Looking back, she was embarrassed of her behavior in front of the always organized girl; she hadn't only let her strength waver, but she had also cried.

She turned the corner and entered yet another corridor, coming to a sudden halt and freezing in place after merely a few steps. Her eyes were locked on Tristan's figure, separated by scarcely a couple of feet as he was violently shoving some of his books into his locker. The curses that were kept under his breath could be read from the expression on his face, his features tightened and his eyes angry. He slammed the locker closed, holding back the urge to seal the deal off with his fist. He turned his body slightly so he was facing her, though he didn't see her just yet. He leaned forward a little to pick his bag up from the floor, raising his head while straightening his back, his bag almost slipping from his grasp when he saw her. His features visibly softened, lines straightened and his face once again became flawless, blank except for the pained look he carried in his eyes, guilt and regret crashing against the wall she had quickly built up, leaving cracks, but none visible.

She was swept off her feet by a whirlwind of emotions: anger, hurt, and confusion all blurred together before her eyes, making her doubt the picture she had painted in her mind, one that held no colors but the blacks and dark blues she had recently become to prefer . Sadness clawed at her, getting a firm hold of her heart while the other emotions raced past her in a pace too fast for her to follow. Her eyes glimmered underneath the pressure of his gaze, knowing that she could take only so much of his intensity at once. She took a step back, a movement he mimicked. His lips seemed to twitch for a few seconds, though the words remained unsaid as he turned around and pushed through the double doors, leaving her alone.

Not wanting to break the sad silence that now hung about, Rory quietly opened her locker, finding a bright yellow sunflower awaiting her, her favorite, though it would lay forgotten in the trash by her second class, its petals crushed.

-x-x-x-

Silently and deep in thought, Rory made her way over to her next class, wanting to go by unnoticed as she clutched her books against her chest. In the doorframe, she paused to look around the classroom, almost instantly finding what she had also sought for in the classes she had before. He sat in the back, toying with a pencil as he stared out of the window, his face masklike as he was seemingly deep in thought, at battle with himself. She inhaled deeply while moving her eyes to the empty seat beside him, her seat.

''Hey.''

Rory turned her head to look over her shoulder. ''Hey, Paris,'' she greeted before returning her eyes to the vacant seat.

Paris instinctively followed Rory's gaze, comprehending her hesitance from moving from the spot they now stood. ''Are you okay?''

Rory shook her head. ''No.''

Paris nodded and brushed past her in a gentle manner, one most of her peers weren't accustomed to. Rory watched her pass by her own seat and make her way towards the back. She sat down next to Tristan without saying a word, her expression cool and calm the way it always was. Rory sadly smiled before heading over to Paris's seat and sat down.

Tristan looked up when the blond haired girl sat down next to him, immediately letting his eyes slip towards the front of the class, locking them on Rory's back. He didn't even have to wonder about her reason. He lowered his eyes to the pencil he held between his fingers, wishing that he could just wake up, though he knew that this was anything but a dream; it hurt too much for it to be just a dream.

-x-x-x-

During her lunch break while most of the students could be found in the cafeteria, Rory wandered through the corridors, passing the many classrooms the school held, unsure of where to spend the twenty minutes of free time she had. She roamed the halls because it was the only way to escape the knowing looks and she roamed the halls because she was restless and didn't know what to do with herself. Scarred, she went on. Somewhere behind her a door opened, but to her it remained unacknowledged until she felt a hand grasp her by her elbow. She was pulled into the darkness and let go immediately after.

Just before the door closed completely, the last flicker of daylight crept across a familiar face. Panic struck her instantly, though she wanted to be able to feel normal around him, but desperately failing to. Her breath caught in her throat before rapidly speeding up. Their eyes met and when he didn't say anything, she passed him and reached for the door, his hand on top of hers within seconds. His breath circled her, lightly touching her skin, though always pulling back before the warmth could spread; he knew that her panic would only increase if he came too close.

''Rory,'' he carefully began, aware of how fragile the pedestal she had him on was, ''I'm sorry.''

She fixed her eyes intently on the door, blinking to hold back the tears, thinking how an apology wouldn't undo his actions, wouldn't make her trust him again or mend their friendship, a word she was unable to utter; it tasted bitter. She pulled her hand back, shrugging off his touch while turning her head to look at him, something she could only do for so long. ''I have to go.'' She reached for the doorknob and turned it with a soft swiftness.

''Rory,'' he repeated, pleading for her to stay and listen, though he wouldn't know what to say if she did, but that didn't matter. He would come up with something if she would only take the time to listen.

''I don't trust you, Tristan,'' she said, her tone harshly emotionless, almost cold.

The door was opened to a crack now and it took him a while to respond because of the impact her words were having on him, not wanting to believe them, though he knew that they were true. He had earned her trust only to break it in the long run. It was her right to feel like she did. The longer he stood there, the more he regretted hurting her and the more he wanted to talk to her and apologize, if she would only let him, give him a second chance, though he doubted if he even deserved one. Now, seeing her like this, almost afraid of him, the realization of his actions finally came crashing down on him, knocking sense into him - sense he had lacked only days ago. He quickly took a step towards her. ''Princess, please...'' he whispered, trying to convince her to listen one last time.

''It's Rory,'' she replied softly before leaving the dark room and closing the door behind her.

He was alone.

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REVIEW! Please? :-) Yes, it was short, a lot shorter than my usual chapter, but like I've said in my earlier A/N, this is how it worked out. I couldn't add something else 'cause that is meant for the next chapter which will be up asap. I lack in time, school etc, it's all very time sucking. :-) Anyway, I hope you kind of liked this because I did. I love conflict. :-) Thanks again for your kind words and I hope that you will do so again. Thanks! :-)


	12. Beauty and The Beast

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

**A/N: Hey :-)** I don't have a lot to say at the moment, believe it or not. :-) I just hope that you like this chapter and that you'll read the A/N at the bottom once you've finished. _Alexia_, my beta, thanks again for going through this for me. :-)

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Beauty and The Beast

It was on the eve of Wednesday, heavens clear and sprinkled with stars surrounding a full moon, when two headlights threw their circles of glimmer upon the driveway, having the late hour as an advantage. Gravel dove away from the tires, though landing without barely making a sound. The engine was turned off immediately, cutting off its mechanic purring and abruptly dimming the lights. All was quiet in the town of Stars Hollow, its residents peacefully asleep, stirring only with bad dreams. Hooded by the night, he got out off his car, shutting the door with care. His footsteps were light, though his thoughts were heavy as he made his way over to the darkened window, his reflection tracing his every move. He searched with his eyes for a crack, but found none. With his eyes lowered, unable to look at himself, he let himself be led by touch as he ran his fingers over every inch of wood and glass, finding the smallest of openings, just big enough for the tips of his fingers as he slid them through to push up the glass plate.

Her eyes opened at the same rate, revealing the recognition in her eyes instead of fear, though it lingered close by. She listened to his unsure breaths, counting the seconds of silence before he dared to make a move. He slipped into her room with grace, the wind accompanying him with less care, making her shiver underneath the sheets she lay under. The sheets felt heavy, making her muscles ache with the strain it took for her to lay still. Her fingers were clutching at the chain around her neck, having the urge to pull it off and maybe courageously break it in her vulnerability, but she didn't. Instead, she toyed with it, sliding her thumb across the smooth silver material of the letter that rested alluringly within the dip of her cleavage, though it was discreetly covered by the shirt she wore. She listened for his next move, not missing a beat of his heart as well as her own. She easily detected his nervousness and sensed his guilty conscience and genuine regret effortlessly. Somewhat relieved, she allowed him to come even closer, shifting in her bed a little so he knew that she was aware of his presence, awake.

''Get out,'' she said.

He respectfully came to a halt, taken aback by how deep the sharpness of her words carved. Inwardly, he trembled and lost his balance, but on the outside, he stubbornly held his ground. ''No.''

''Please,'' she pleaded, tremors tainting her tone with a color she had found peace with these past days: blue, sadness.

His heart broke into even smaller pieces as he was pulled into an internal conflict, into an old fashioned game of tug-o-war. On one hand, he wanted badly to take a couple of steps back and just let her be, but on the other hand, he wanted for this bridge between them to be crossed and for things between them to be back to normal so he could crawl into bed with her and be there for her. He wished that the damage would have been caused by someone other than him so he would be able to look for the blame at something other than his own refection. In pain, he moved closer towards her, throwing his shadow intimidatingly on the wall across from her. ''Not until you let me explain.''

''I don't think you can...'' She briefly paused to recollect herself, to pull herself as together as she could, although she knew that she was failing miserably once a sob escaped her, fresh tears following, voicing her heartbreak. ''I don't think you can explain,'' she repeated, looking at his shadow through teary eyes. ''I don't think you can give me a good enough reason to why you did what you did.'' Another cry left her throat, muffled by the words that she forced out almost instantly after. ''I trusted you; you were my friend.''

He watched her body shake softly while listening to her cries. It hurt - hurt so much that once again he stood still. He looked at her, his eyes intently fixing on her figure. ''I am your friend,'' he said, though the words sounded weak even to him.

''No...no you're not. You embarrassed me.''

''Prince...Ror,'' he said, though pausing to bite his lip immediately after. ''Please, let me explain... Give me a second chance?''

She wiped her face with the back of her hand. ''You don't deserve one.''

''I know, Mary, and yet I'm asking for one.'' He took one last step towards her. ''I'm here now anyway so why not hear me out?''

''It's Rory,'' she said coolly.

''I know that, too, princess.'' He looked down at her, now standing right beside her bed.

''Don't call me that...don't call me anything.''

''Rory,'' he began, refraining himself from reaching out his hand and brushing her hair away from the side of her face so he could at least properly look at her. His hands lightly trembled.

''No. I'm not one of your girlfriends who you can play to your advantage. I'm not like them, I'm not supposed to be like them!'' Her voice raised itself slightly, frustrated at not only him, but also herself.

''You are nothing like them,'' he urged.

She ran her tongue across her lower lip. She could taste the salt, a flavor that caused for tears to appear at the corners of her eyes once again, stinging her with their reality. She opened her mouth, waiting for the newly formed tears to slip onto the tip of her tongue. She had trouble breathing only through her nose now that she was so upset, but yet she closed her mouth, pressing her lips together tightly, choosing to say nothing at all.

''Look,'' he said while lowering himself down onto his knees before uttering another word, thinking that if he was on her level, closer, she would hear him. ''I know that I don't deserve another chance, but I'm asking anyway because this might be the only opportunity I have in a while to get you to listen to what I have to say...okay?'' He lightly leaned upon her mattress, the sides of his arms resting only inches from her. ''You remember Matt, right?'' he asked, though not waiting for an answer. ''I know that he comes over as a nice guy, but he's the opposite from that. He's always looking for a game, something to entertain himself with. I know this because we used to be friends...until he decided to play a game that I couldn't refuse, simply because I felt that I couldn't and because I thought that I was doing the right thing, protecting you...from him.''

''Wh...why did you need to protect me?'' she asked, being hesitant with her question.

He sighed. ''Because he was jealous and was looking for some fun.''

''Jealous?'' She had never sounded more naive and innocent to him than now.

She heard him move, positioning his arms so that his elbows were now set upon her bed and his hands were folded, leveled with his face. ''He was jealous of my friendship with you, believe it or not,'' he said, his tone edging towards irony. ''I think he was mad that he couldn't come close enough, that I wouldn't let him come close enough to you.''

''I don't understand,'' she whispered, her words understandable.

''He couldn't have you like he could have all those other girls.''

''I never...I...I didn't like him like that,'' she admitted to his relief, his doubts finally settling.

''He knew, but he didn't care. See, guys like Matt...like me often use girls to show who is more popular. It's some sort of power struggle. My dad and Matt's dad play the same game, only with different rules.''

''I'm sorry,'' she said, partially comprehending.

He shook his head, a wavering smile present as he settled his eyes upon her again. ''No,'' he started, dismissing her apology, ''but I am. I should have never done what I did.''

''What did Matt want?''

''He...he made me somewhat of a deal. Either I would get close enough to you to...well, you know or he would.'' He sighed, his words fading as he was unable to say what he meant.

''So the pictures...''

''I'm so sorry. I just thought that if I could convince him that I...that I...'' He took a deep breath. ''I thought that if I could convince him that I slept with you, he would be satisfied. I never knew that he would take the pictures and put them on display like that.''

She suddenly shifted underneath her covers, turning over onto her back to look at him. ''What about my dizziness...was I really sick that night?'' Her eyes clashed with his.

He lightly shook his head. ''No.'' She nodded, casting her eyes downwards, away from him. ''No,'' he repeated. ''I spiked your drinks with alcohol so you would be cooperative.''

''Cooperative.'' The words slipped into the open with harsh difficulty as her eyes found his again. Her cheeks were streaked with the many trails of tears and her eyes were a deep shade of blue, stormy, full with emotion that she was unable to voice.

''I tried to do the right thing...protect you.''

She blinked a few times before looking at him again. ''I know that I might look naive in your eyes, clueless even, but do you honestly think that I would have let Matt hurt me like that?'' Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

''You let me hurt you like that,'' he said, not knowing what he was thinking.

Her eyes darkened. ''Because we were friends and I trusted you, I thought better of you.'' She turned her head away and even averted her eyes from his shadow that was still cast upon the wall across from her.

''I don't know what I was thinking,'' he confessed. ''I'm sorry and I know that my explanation sounds like bull, but I was trying to look out for you and be a good friend, ironically enough. I thought that if I hurt you instead of Matt, it wouldn't do as much damage or hurt as much, but obviously I was wrong about that.'' He waited for her to say something, but she still didn't speak or look at him. ''Princess,'' he started affectionately, ''I know that I may seem like some sort of monster right now and that you hate me, but...''

''I don't hate you.''

''What?'' he asked, surprised by her response.

She turned her head so she could meet his eyes. ''I don't hate you,'' she repeated, more slowly this time. ''And you're not a monster; you just made a mistake...you really hurt me, Tris.''

He nodded. ''I know and I want to make it up to you, just tell me how.''

His eyes stood afflicted and regretful as he took her in. She smiled at the light, almost gray color of his eyes and reached for his hand, letting him know that she would be able to forgive with time. ''You have to earn back my trust.''

He clasped her hand tighter between his, saying nothing as he tenderly pressed his lips against her knuckles.

The moment was beautiful in its sadness and relief, but wasn't allowed to finish as the door of her room flew open. He quickly let go of her hand while Lorelai stormed into the room, angry. ''Get out!'' she yelled.

''Mom...''

''Lorelai, I can...''

''Get out of my house now or I swear I will call your parents!'' Lorelai yelled, not caring much for an explanation at the moment.

This time, he obeyed, exchanging one last look with her before slipping out of the window like a thief in the night. Once he was safely locked in his car, he dared to bring his eyes back to the window... Lorelai had her arms around Rory, doing nothing but holding her, something she needed. With his eyes slightly lowered, he turned the key and started the engine.

* * *

**REVIEW! Please:-) **And once again we meet at then end of such a dramatic scene... :-) Well, I know that some of you might think that I didn't do this chapter justice because of how easily Rory seemed to forgive Tristan, but they have been friends for a long time and, of course Tristan still has to earn back her trust. Things won't just go back to the way they were just like that. Anyway, I'm hoping that you will give your honest opinion on this chapter 'cause I have spent a week working on it, editing pieces etc and I honestly think that I can't do any better so...let me know. Thanks :-) And thanks for the reviews you guys left me with on my last chapter. :-) 


	13. Borderline

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

**A/N:** Well, I won't say anything except that this is on the really short side, but it's supposed to be and I haven't updated this story in about two weeks, I think so I figured that I could at least update what I had worked on. Thanks to _Alexia _for betaing and please read the A/N at the bottom on your way out. Thanks :-)

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Borderline

Rory leaned back against one of the many lockers, specific only because of its position. She wore a smile that reached up to her eyes, the pain masked; for the moment, she couldn't be more happy, satisfied with forgetfulness and the piece of normal that came with it. She threw a sideways glance at the locker beside her. ''Hey'', she greeted, watching as a hand slid across the blue surface and push it aside, revealing a head of messy blond locks and a pair of blue eyes that stood amazed as they looked at her. He was taken back by surprise for the first couple of seconds as he quickly gave her a once-over. When he saw the gentle spark in her eyes, he too smiled, though carefully at first in his unsurety. ''Morning, princess.''

A shudder passed through her as unexpected and sudden as a breeze, rattling her senses, moving her as she was lost in confusion. The soft inflection of his voice strummed a chord within, the feeling weakening her knees, not understanding why she had so much trouble keeping her balance when she had managed to keep it all this time.

''Are you okay?'' Tristan asked, taking the sudden silence as a sign of doubt. ''You know, after last night?'' He eyed her closely as she nodded, her smile wavering, rippling with memories. ''I'm fine,'' she assured him. ''I think I needed my mom to find out; I need someone to deal with this with, talk to, you know?''

''I bet she's angry at me for...'' He bit his lip, unable to finish his sentence. He briefly ran across her eyes with his own. ''I would be.''

Rory averted her eyes, unable to deal with the weight of his guilt right now; she still had to work through a lot herself. ''She's more than angry, leaning towards furious, actually, but I think she partially understood your reasoning of doing what you did and my reasoning of why I decided to forgive you.''

Tristan ran his tongue across his lips, wondering if it would get rid of the dryness in his mouth; he didn't care for the taste that came with it too much. His fingers nervously started to tap against his locker, stopping only when he pulled back his hand. ''Why did you forgive me?''

She looked at him, her eyes kind, as kind as he knew them, something that made him hold back a sigh of relief, one he had been holding ever since he had gotten himself into this mess.

''Because I've known you for a long time,'' she began, her tone gentle, ''and in all of that time, you have never done anything to intentionally hurt me...so I believe that I could give you a second chance.'' A small smile appeared on her face as her eyes wandered off. ''You have always been protective of me, doing whatever you thought was right to do so.'' Her eyes found his again, adding to the intensity and the tainted honesty of the words that were still to come. ''I know you, Tris.''

''Or at least you used to,'' he murmured, the words sounding too harsh, too real to be said aloud. His eyes lowered in shame and her eyes were cast down as well as they settled themselves into a silence that felt foreign, almost uncomfortable.

Tristan went back to his locker, keeping his gaze fixed on the mess in front of him so he wouldn't see the pictures he had used to decorate his locker with - pictures of her, of them, although in his mind, he had already cast his eyes upon them. There was one of her on her sixteenth birthday, wearing a dress in a shade of pink that reminded him of cotton candy even now. There was a picture of her sitting on the couch, knees pulled up to her chest as she balanced a pint of ice-cream (her favorite flavor, Berry Cherry) on them, proudly showing off her Snoopy pajamas. Another was of the two of them in her driveway where he was leaning against his car, smiling as he looked over at Rory who had stretched herself out on the hood. There were so many memories and so much guilt and regret. He sighed, causing her to look up, the pain in her eyes matching his. Only their colors clashed; the shade of his being darker, the emotion in it deeper. She saw how his gaze slipped and found the pictures.

''Tristan,'' she started, waiting for him to look at her, ''what did you do with the pictures?''

She held her breath.

''I took them off immediately after you...after you left the room and I burnt them. I swear that all that's left are ashes.''

''Good,'' she whispered, looking down at her hands. ''I should get to class.''

''Do you want me to come with you?'' he offered. ''Protect you from...''

''I think you've done enough of that,'' she cut in, her voice sharp with bitterness, although she regretted saying what she had even before the last syllable had left her mouth. ''Tris,'' she said. ''I'm...''

''No,'' he said while shaking his head, pretending not be hurt by her words, though he was. ''You should be mad; I deserve it.''

''So does Matt,'' she remarked, sighing as she looked at him once more. ''It's not only your fault, you know? And it's not fair that people see it that way, that I see it that way.''

''You deserve to see it like that,'' Tristan said, smiling sadly as he reached out his hand to wipe a strand of hair away from her face, only tucking it behind her ear because touching her would keep him from going over to Matt right now, knowing that she was trying her best to stay by his side was keeping him sane. ''I'm used to being the bad guy,'' he commenced, gingerly running his fingers down the side of her face before pulling them back, ''but it's different, harder, since it's you,'' he openly confessed.

A faint smile pulled at the corners of her eyes. ''I should go.''

He nodded.

''I'll see you later,'' was all she said before starting off in the direction of her first class.

Tristan waited for the bell to ring.

* * *

**REVIEW! Please? :-) **So, short huh? :-) I just thought that this scene should stand on its own, but I can see how you might find it short, despite that I am still curious to your opinion. I haven't done my best on this, I think 'cause I had only a couple of hours to work on it since I wanted to at least update something so... My next chapter will be longer, without a doubt and probably better...maybe?...I don't know. Thanks anyway for taking a minute to read this. :-) 


	14. Wrapped Around

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

**A/N:** Well, I haven't updated in a couple of weeks which is a long time for me, but juggling both school and writing at the same time has become kinda hard lately so... Anyway, I'll leave the rest of my rambling for at the end so be sure to read the A/N at the bottom before moving on. Thanks :-) The beta-ed version will be up as soon as possible.

* * *

Wrapped Around

Lunch, one of the only times the halls could be found empty, except for the occasional wanderer. Complete silence reigned - a silence Rory preferred above the chatter and laughter that was always too loud. She preferred the sound of her own footsteps as they echoed solemnly through the corridors - footsteps that faded only into the shrill ringing of the bell. She was one of those occasional wanderers, looking for a place of her own, though she never found one; the school was a too intimidating of a building. A place of her own would mean that she felt comfortable between these walls, the plain white hidden beneath the many colorful flyers, dreaded announcements, and scattered pieces of art. The library was her one and only sanctuary, though she had also spent a number of her lunches in front of the large entrance, at the top of the stairs so she could look down at the maze of doors and corridors.

She rounded another corner, deep in thought, her eyes cast down. The tiles shimmered in the broken rays of sunshine that lay scattered across the floors, tarnished over the years by countless footsteps. Upon a closer look, it would seem as if they were actually gleaming, a warning there for solely her eyes to see, if only she hadn't been so lost herself.

The squeaking of sneakers against the tiled surface was her second warning, one she didn't overlook as she brought up her head and peered through hooded eyes, her guard up.

''Well, well...''

A look of disgust ran across her face, juggling with her facial expression and tugging at her lips, causing them to collapse into a straight and thin line. Her shoulders tensed as she managed to turn around without acknowledging him, though their eyes had crashed into each other by accident for a split second. Rory wanted to walk away, leave before the taste in her mouth would get too bitter, before she would get too upset.

It took him a while to reply, but soon, she heard his footsteps behind her and soon, sooner than she had expected, she felt him take a hold of her wrist, tugging at it. ''Now, now, don't be rude.'' He spun her around somewhat forcefully and backed her into the nearest locker, not bothering to be careful. ''I just want to talk.''

''I don't,'' she replied curtly, averting her eyes before they had the chance to run into his.

''Come on.'' He moved closer, invading where he wasn't wanted. ''I just want to have a little chat about Tristan...'' His voice trailed off as he closely observed her reaction. When none came, he continued, his voice raucous and eyes openly leering. ''About how he got you drunk at a party only so he could do you later on.''

Rory flinched at his words, backing herself up even more until she was inevitably trapped between Matt and the cold steel; his words hurt more than she had expected. She tried pulling her wrist free from his grasp, placing her other hand lightly against his chest, using it as leverage, though to no avail. ''He didn't sleep with me,'' she protested, unsure of whether she was defending Tristan or not.

Matt cracked a smile. ''I always knew he was a coward. I'm surprised he even went so far as to get you drunk in the first place, but when he showed me those pictures, he blew me away; they looked so real and you,'' he said while leaning into her, his breath now close enough to run down the side of her face. ''...you looked hot all sprawled out like that and showing some leg,'' he finished, letting go of her wrist, taking the liberty to let his hand slide down her thigh smoothly before pulling it back.

Rory's hand flew over to his chest, landing roughly. With an unexpected push, she sent him stumbling backwards a couple of steps. ''I can't believe you,'' she said, her hands balled into fists to keep them from shaking. ''I can't believe you did...''

''Actually, I did nothing, Tristan did,'' Matt cut her off.

Rory's eyes flared up with anger and disbelief, taking a step in his direction, allowing herself to be brave for a short amount of time. ''You threatened him,'' she accused. ''You made him...''

Matt raised his hands in protest. ''I made him do nothing.'' He paused, running his tongue across his lower lip before dipping his head slightly and smiling at her - a smile that would have been charming if she hadn't known better, if it hadn't been coming from him. ''Do you honestly think that I believe that you would have let me get close enough to you for me to have actually gotten the chance to get you alone in a room, drunk nonetheless?'' His hands disappeared in his pockets as he shook his head. ''It was all talk, Tristan knew that...or at least I thought he did.''

''No,'' Rory started while shaking her head, ''Tristan didn't know that.'' She looked up at him. ''He believed you.''

A sly smirk replaced Matt's smile. ''I know and I must say that I enjoyed the show he put on for me, although I do believe that I owe you some of the credit, too.''

''You are horrible,'' she said softly.

Matt's eyes narrowed. ''If it makes me horrible then I can only imagine what it makes Tristan who took advantage of your friendship,'' he remarked harshly while closing in on her once again. ''He took advantage of not only your friendship, but your trust.'' He paused briefly, taking in the anger that was becoming more and more apparent, no longer tucked away beneath understanding or behind a pair of kind eyes and patient smile. ''He took advantage of you,'' Matt continued. ''And his excuse...'' He dragged his index finger across his bottom lip. ''...He wanted to protect...''

He was cut off abruptly as Rory's hand flew across his face. ''You have no right to judge, absolutely none at all,'' she said, leveling her eyes with his before turning around, her heart beating rapidly and her feet feeling heavy, almost too heavy to move. Her hand was pressed against the side of her skirt, her fingers sprawled out against the fabric. They were still aching with the aftershock of having done something so radical as to hit someone. Slight tremors ran through her hand, causing her to ball her hand into a tight fist, though her fingers spread themselves again involuntary when she felt him snatch her by her wrist. Her hand got pulled back roughly, forcing her to turn around at the same time. She gasped as her eyes flew up to Matt's.

''And here I thought you were a nice girl,'' he said, bringing his free hand up to his face to where she had struck him.

''Appearances can deceive,'' she managed to utter, though she doubted that he had heard her; her heart had started to pound louder and faster with every second.

''You hit me.''

''You deserved it,'' Rory said, keeping her eyes locked with his, even though she wanted nothing more than to look away.

Matt looked straight at her, his eyes burning into hers. His smile had fully faded by now, leaving behind an expression that seemed as hard and unmoving as stone. The sudden silence Rory found themselves in scared her because she couldn't predict his next move, nor could she run; his fingers were locked around her wrist more firmly than before and though he felt cold, she knew that his blood was probably boiling. She could hear her own heart beating, its constant thudding echoing through her own ears, the quick pace close to panicking her, Matt's proximity and cold and determined gaze adding to that trapped feeling.

She wouldn't be able to take it any longer... Even the palms of her hands were started to feel sweaty.

Finally, she gave in and looked away. Matt dropped her hand almost instantly, saying nothing as the bell rang and people started to show their faces in the halls once again, most still chewing on their last remainder of lunch. He turned around and started to walk, leaving, his hands tucked away safely in his pockets.

He was a coward.

Rory's eyes managed to follow him for half a second before she turned her eyes away, meeting another pair halfway, though their icy blue made her feel at ease. She patiently stood in the midst of the crowd while waiting for him to reach her.

He nodded, though not in her direction, but in the direction opposite of her. ''What was that all about?''

''Something that I don't want to talk about. Not now at least,'' she added.

Tristan nodded. He awkwardly slipped his hands into his back pockets and looked down at his shoes. ''Are you alright?''

''I'm okay.''

''Good,'' he said, not looking up.

''Hey, Tris?'' Rory said, taking a step towards him.

''Yeah,'' he murmured, glancing at her from behind his messy locks.

Rory smiled. ''Would you mind walking me to my next class?''

Again he nodded, removing his hands from his pockets as they started to walk, side by side. Somewhere along the line, he had enough courage to throw his arm around her, like old times. It was a comforting gesture, one Rory didn't shrug off as she snuggled into him a bit more, content with the moment.

-x-x-x-

''So,'' Rory said, trailing off as she threw a nervous glance in the direction of the front door.

''So,'' Tristan replied, eyeing her from where he was sitting, his hands resting on top of the steering wheel, his fingers tapping against it, mimicking her anxious behavior as she kept moving around, unable to sit still as she kept tugging at loose strands of hair.

''So,'' Rory repeated, managing to avert her eyes from her house and look at him. She untangled her finger from the lock of hair she had been twirling around it and dropped her hand down to her lap. ''Thanks for driving me.''

''Any time.''

''Well, thanks,'' Rory said quickly before a silence could fall. She reached for the door and opened it with a click.

Tristan's tapping came to an abrupt stop. ''So you aren't even going to tell me what happened between you and Matt.''

''Nothing happened,'' Rory said, her actions paused for the moment.

''Right...'' he said, followed by a sigh. ''Who are you trying to kid, Ror? This morning when I offered to walk you to class you declined, not so subtly might I add and then...''

''I already apologized for snapping at you.''

''Not the point,'' Tristan commented. ''I just want to know why you don't want to tell me what happened.''

Rory removed her hand from the door. ''I don't want to tell you because I know that if I do, wewill have to talk about what happened and I don't want that.''

''Princess, I know it's hard and that I hurt you, but...''

''That's the point,'' Rory said while glancing over at Tristan. ''It shouldn't be hard anymore and it shouldn't hurt anymore because we already talked about it.''

''I apologized,'' Tristan brought forward. ''We didn't really talk about it.''

''And I don't want to...'' She looked away from him, choosing to look down at her hands instead.

''We'll have to talk about it eventually,'' Tristan urged gently.

Rory pulled at her bottom lip with her teeth. She sighed, sinking into the seat a bit more. ''Everything was going so well this morning and then Matt had to ruin it.''

''He got to you, didn't he?'' Tristan asked, already knowing the answer.

She nodded. ''Yeah.''

He nodded, too, though it was something she didn't catch. ''We just have to realize that it'll take time.''

She stopped fidgeting with her fingers, bringing one hand up to the side of her face, tucking a stray lock behind her ear before turning to look at him. ''Have you? Realized it?''

Tristan nodded once again, slowly breaking into a smile. ''Hey,'' he started, reaching out for her hair and lightly tugging at it, ''don't look so sad, princess.'' He ran his hand through her hair, playfully messing it up. He let his hand slide down the side of her face before removing it, still smiling as Rory returned his smile with one of her own. ''Now, are you ever going to get out of this car or do I have to take you home with me?'' he asked.

Rory looked over at her house quickly before facing him once more. ''Come with me?'' she asked.

''What, in there?'' Tristan nodded in the direction of her house.

She nodded while sticking out her bottom lip, pouting.

Tristan didn't say anything as he got out of the car.

-x-x-x-

''So, she's been kind of quiet, huh?'' Tristan asked while stuffing his hands back into his pockets for the third time.

Rory glanced over at her mom who was a few steps ahead of them. ''She just needs some coffee.''

''Right...so after she gets her coffee...what will happen?''

''Well, I'll probably get a cup of coffee, too and you'll get whatever you want to drink, though I suggest coffee, the strongest and blackest coffee there is if I may make a suggestion.''

''Right and then we sit down at a table and what, talk?'' Tristan asked. ''Because I'm not sure if a diner is a good place to hold the conversation we are having in a couple of minutes.''

''It's the perfect place.''

''Really, a diner where people walk in and out every minute and where the tables are so close together that you can hear each other breathe is a better place to hold a conversation that is somewhat private than at your house?''

Rory shrugged. ''There's no coffee at our place.''

''Ror, I hate to break it to you, but right now it's not about whether having coffee or not, it's about having the opportunity to run without having to dodge chairs and jump over tables,'' Tristan pointed out.

''Did you ever consider the fact that our doors can be locked whenever chosen to whereas the doors of the diner can only be locked with Luke's consent and keys? The coffee is just an added bonus to keep my mom calm and leveled,'' Rory explained.

''Coffee keeps your mom calm and leveled?''

''Yeah, and you better not plan on questioning the workings of coffee right now,'' Rory remarked.

''Why not?''

''Because the coffee guru might be watching and if you upset him, he might decide to take it out on you by making the coffee taste less than perfect today and if that happens you...''

''Okay,'' Tristan said, interrupting Rory's rambling tirade, ''I get it, I don't want to piss off the all mighty coffee guru.''

''You catch on quick...oh, no...''

''What?'' Tristan murmured. ''Don't tell me that you've just realized what a not so good idea this really is.''

''No, it's-''

''Rory!''

Tristan's head snapped up.

''Hey, Dean,'' Lorelai said.

''Now she says something,'' Tristan mumbled.

''Dean, hey,'' Rory greeted, choosing to ignore Tristan's words.

Dean nodded, his gaze lingering on his girlfriend, though he was keep an eye on Tristan from the corner of his.

''So, what are you doing here?'' Rory asked. ''I thought you always worked on afternoons?''

Dean shrugged while opening the door for them. ''I had this one off.''

''Oh...''

''Yeah, I was thinking that I could join you guys,'' Dean said. ''Unless you mind?''

''Actually,'' Rory started, slowly looking up to meet Dean's eyes. ''we kind of have something to discuss.''

''Something private,'' Tristan added.

Dean looked over at Lorelai who simply shrugged. ''I'm sorry, kid.''

''Oh, okay,'' Dean said while nodding. He looked back over at Rory. ''Do you think we can talk for a few minutes?''

''Of course.'' Rory smiled while looking over at her mom.

''Looks like it'll be just you and me for now, babe,'' Lorelai said while linking arms with Tristan.

''I won't take long, I promise,'' Rory said, directing the last two words at Tristan.

''Oh, take your time. We'll be fine. We'll go ahead and order some coffee or something.''

''The strongest and blackest coffee they have,'' Tristan murmured as he unwillingly followed Lorelai into the diner.

Rory smiled as the door fell closed, turning to face Dean. ''So, what do you want to talk about?'' Her hands disappeared in her back pockets.

''What's he doing here?'' Dean asked, leaving her question unanswered.

''I already told you,'' Rory commented. ''Tristan and I have something to discuss with my mom.''

''Something private, right?''

''Right,'' Rory answered, not liking the tone in which Dean had said it. ''It's nothing big, though,'' she lied.

''Okay, so if it's nothing big why not tell me?''

Rory lowered her eyes. ''Because...it's between me and Tristan,'' she halfheartedly explained.

Dean nodded, casting his eyes down, too.

Rory sighed. ''Look, Dean, I swear that it's nothing that you have to worry about. It's just something that we have to break to my mom.''

''But you don't feel comfortable enough to share with me?'' he asked.

''No, it's just-''

''You know, if you're seeing him it's okay, just let me know so I can take my cue and-''

''Dean,'' Rory began, ''I swear to you that I am not seeing Tristan. He's just a friend.''

Dean looked at her. ''Really?''

She nodded. ''Dean, I swear.''

He sheepishly smiled, accepting her explanation. ''I'm sorry, Ror, I know that you would never-''

''It's okay,'' she said.

''We just haven't been spending that much time together either because of school or my work and now that I do have some free time, you tell me that you and Tri-''

''I know and I'm sorry. I would have rather spent my afternoon with you, but this is something that has to be done,'' she told him.

''I understand.''

''I'll make it up to you, though,'' Rory said while smiling at him.

Dean threw her a goofy grin, one she found irresistible. ''What did you have in mind?''

''Anything you want,'' she answered while reaching out to run her hands through his hair.

Dean slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. ''How about pizza and movies?''

''What kind of movies?''

''How about you pick the movies and I pick the toppings for the pizza?'' he asked with a small smile.

''How about we each pick a movie and we both pick the toppings?'' Rory offered.

''Deal,'' Dean said, cutting himself off by pressing his lips against Rory's. He mimicked her earlier actions by running his free hand through her hair, and the first thing that came to her mind...

''Tristan,'' she whispered while pulling back.

''Yeah,'' Dean said, misunderstanding. ''You should probably get in there.''

Rory nodded, releasing herself from Dean's grip. ''Probably, but we're on for tomorrow night, right?''

''I'll be there,'' Dean said, giving her a kiss on the cheek before walking off.

Rory slid her hands back into her pockets before turning around to face the diner, looking through the large window. She spotted Tristan and her mom sitting at one of the tables in the back, deep in conversation by the looks of it, though what she didn't know was that Tristan's eyes had been on her ever since he sat down.

* * *

**REVIEW! Please? :-)** So, I kind of have the idea that this chapter turned out kind of messy because of all the dialogue, I guess; I tend to spend more time writing paragraphs etc than actual dialogue so maybe that's the reason why I feel that this chapter sorta sucks. Review, though and let me know what you think. All opinions are welcome, of course. :-) 

Oh, and a while ago (last week) I wrote a short story and posted it on fictionpress, my penname's _smile4theworld _so if you have the time and interest, please be so kind as to check it out.

**Last but not least**, I have an idea for a Trory one parter, a really cool one, romantic even, I think...since I can still switch things around 'cause I haven't wrote it yet. I might start to work on it today, but I just wanted to tell someone.

Thanks! :-)


	15. Babygirl

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

**A/N: **It's been a while, but time is a hard thing to get a grip on. For all of the die-hard Trory fans, this is where the wheel officially gets turned and there's no way back. Dean's still in the picture (though not in this chapter), but he won't be for long and that's a promse I can keep since I have the idea of the break-up already in my head. But 'till then, I hope you'll settle for this. The beta-ed version will be up, eventually so I hope it's not that bad. And read the A/N at the bottom.

* * *

Babygirl

Lorelai gulped down her second cup of coffee only ten minutes into the conversation with her daughter, Rory, the victim and her daughter's friend, Tristan, the perpetrator, the one who was guilty of hurting her daughter, her babygirl.

Lorelai downed the last of her coffee before lowering the cup onto the table with a thud. She folded her hands, neatly tucking each finger into the crook of the other while frantically searching for words which she found rather quickly and by accident as she stumbled across them. Her fingers untangled themselves and she started to tap on the table with one hand while raising the other, beckoning for another cup of coffee, one she desperately needed to keep herself calm and her thoughts collected. She was hanging on by a string, holding on to the pair of guilty eyes in front of her, blue like her daughter's.

Blue like Rory's.

Blue...

She lowered her hand and ran it through her hair while looking directly into the set of eyes before her. ''So...you took pictures of my baby while she was drunk...at your fault?'' she started, her voice frail as she carefully broke the silence.

Tristan swallowed before nodding.

''And just for clarification, she wasn't nude in them?''

Tristan shook his head, too much of a coward to look at Rory.

''And...,'' Lorelai began, struggling with her question, ''you didn't touch her?'' By now both of her hands were gripping the edge of the table firmly, her knuckles white. ''No one else touched her?''

''Mom,'' Rory softly said, flinching at Lorelai's question; it brought up memories she wanted to forget and feelings she wanted to pass by without throwing them a second glance.

Her mom however, ignored her faint protest. ''And you burnt the pictures? You didn't keep them as a personal souvenir of that night or anything?''

Tristan's eyes were cast down as he realized how much it stung to have Lorelai doubt him like this. He deserved it, but it still hurt. ''No,'' he replied, sinking back into the guilt he knew he would never be able to shake off.

Rory took in his reaction from underneath her lashes, watching him shrink back, away from her in shame. It wasn't fair. ''Mom,'' she said, wanting her mom to look at her instead of Tristan, if only for a few seconds. ''It isn't entirely his fault, you know?''

''I know,'' Lorelai said, clutching at her daughter's words to keep from putting all of the blame on the boy sitting so close to her, so close to Rory. ''It's just...he...I...'' Lorelai bit her lip. ''He's here, Rory, and he's also the one that confessed to doing all of those horrible things to you, to treating you like that and you have to understand that that doesn't do anything for his case.''

''I know, but he wasn't alone and he didn't mean to-''

''But he did!'' Lorelai said, raising her voice a little, though not enough to attract any unwanted attention.

Rory shrunk back in her chair, averting her gaze down to the table, something that held no meaning and was completely blank and safe to look at. She wasn't good at dealing with conflict and all of the emotions that came with it.

Lorelai sighed. ''Sweets, I'm just trying to deal with this. I didn't mean to yell at you or put all of the blame on Tristan, but you didn't tell me that all of this was going on in your life so everything just kind of came crashing down on me.''

''I'm sorry.''

Lorelai nodded. ''It's okay. Maybe it's a good thing that you didn't tell me... I would have freaked and that was probably not something you needed.''

''You're not mad?'' Rory asked.

''Are you kidding? I am furious, but if you are able to forgive him, then I will be able to, too. Scratch that, I will at least try, okay?''

''Thanks, mom.''

Lorelai sent Rory a small smile before turning her head slightly, her eyes locking tightly with Tristan's. ''You should consider yourself lucky because if I was my daughter, I would have put you through hell and also know that just because she didn't, it doesn't mean that I won't, okay?''

''It'll take time,'' Tristan said.

''And loads of it. There, I'm done harassing you and from the looks of it all of your limbs are still intact which means that you got off pretty easy. However, if you ever hurt my daughter or humiliate her like you did this time, you won't be so lucky, understood?''

''Yes, ma'am.''

''Since you're being so polite why not buy us another cup of coffee?''

''Do you want anything with that coffee?'' Tristan asked.

''I don't know, do we?'' Lorelai turned to look at Rory.

''Actually, I don't want anything,'' Rory answered, letting her eyes brush passed Tristan's quickly before continuing. ''Is it okay if I go for a walk or something?''

''Yeah, of course. Are you okay?''

Rory nodded. ''I'm fine, I just need some fresh air.'' She pushed herself out of her chair and left the diner.

Tristan glanced over at Lorelai who didn't return his questioning eyes until she had gotten up from the table. ''I don't know what you are looking at me for; I still have another cup of coffee to buy, on you, and as unbelievable as it is, she is still your friend, Tristan.''

He watched as Lorelai walked off.

It took him only a few seconds to get up and exit the diner, following in Rory's footsteps.

-x-x-x-

Rory's trail of footsteps led him to the bridge where he found her sitting at the edge of it. She had her hands pressed up against the wood while leaning forwards a little, her back slightly curved as her feet dangled a couple of inches above the water, searching for a surface to steady themselves on, though finding none.

At moments like these, when the frequent tugs of the wind colored her cheeks rosy and messed up her hair, and when her surroundings only made her stand out more, he admired her. He admired the person she had chose to become, someone who could take all of life's set backs with a grain of salt. He admired her for still being able to look him in the eye and for still being able to smile at him as if he meant the world.

He envied her.

Tristan approached Rory with mixed feelings, unsure of whether she wanted him around or not. He would understand if she didn't. He had to understand because of how she had understood him.

He stopped and waited, choosing discreetly to look at her reflection instead of looking directly at her.

''I'm fine,'' she stated, having sensed him the second he had reached the bridge. ''It'll just take some time,'' she went on, though her words struck her more deeply than they did him. She sighed, her shoulder slumping. ''Things won't just go back to how they were with a simple snap of the fingers,'' Rory admitted, tired of the way she had been feeling lately.

''If only we had a time machine,'' Tristan lightly joked as he lowered himself down to her level and sat down beside her.

Rory shook her head and looked at him. ''That would just give us an easy way out, an opportunity to run.'' She paused while biting her lip. ''We learn from things like this and it does make something stronger, whether it's our bond or ourselves, no matter how cheesy and cliche-ridden it sounds.''

Tristan chuckled. ''You are the ultimate optimist.''

''And you like me for that,'' Rory said, her eyes brilliant with shine as she found his eyes.

He threw her a half smile as he gently brushed a stray lock of her hair aside, finding it a flaw in her picture perfect appearance. For some reason, it always bothered him when he couldn't properly see her face. ''I do,'' he confessed, giving her a genuine response. When she smiled, he turned his head, his hand dropping back into his lap. ''I still feel guilty, you know, and I will probably keep apologizing to you until the end of time.''

''Tris-''

''Have dinner with me tonight?'' was his sudden question.

''Wha-''

Again he cut her off, ''I want to make it up to you and yes, I know taking you to dinner won't erase anything, but it will give you an evening of fun, one you deserve.''

''I've never been taken to dinner before,'' was Rory's response, her brow wrinkling at her words; Dean had never taken her to dinner.

''Well, then this is your chance,'' Tristan said while glancing over at her. ''Let me pamper you for one night and take you out.'' He reached for her hand, watching as his fingers locked around hers. ''What do you say, princess?''

A smile showed itself as Rory nodded. ''Okay.''

''Okay,'' Tristan said before lightly brushing his lips across her knuckles.

-x-x-x-

That evening, Rory sat at the kitchen table, nervously drumming her fingers against a coffee cup, one that was filled up to the rim with coffee that had long turned cold. She had yet to take a sip of the beverage, not wanting to smudge the lipstick she had clumsily applied; she hardly wore it. For this occasion however, it seemed appropriate, though she still felt like a clown. She was worried of looking out of place next to Tristan; he always seemed to fit in wherever. She tugged at one of her messily pinned up curls and pulled at the skirt of her red dress, trying to pull it over her knees. She had borrowed the dress from her mom.

''You look beautiful.''

Rory stopped her actions and glanced over at her mom who was leaning against the sink, eyeing her. ''Thanks.''

They both fell back into their comfortable silence for a while, pondering about the night that had yet to begin.

''Are you sure about this?'' Lorelai asked finally.

''Everyone deserves a second chance,'' Rory replied, not missing a beat. She met her mother's eyes, an exchange that was cut short by the doorbell.

Lorelai pushed herself away from the sink. ''I'll get it.'' She averted her eyes from Rory's and left the kitchen, her pace quick.

Rory got up and took her time putting on her coat so her mom would have the chance to lay out the rules for Tristan one more time. When she entered the room and neared the door, Tristan greeted her with a simple smile and she no longer worried about being out of place.

He wore a heavy black coat, closely resembling hers except for the color. Hers was gray, like his eyes.

She matched his smile with her own. ''Hey.''

''Hey, are you ready to go?''

Rory nodded without looking at her mom for confirmation.

''Then let's go.'' Tristan held out his hand and she took it, their eyes meeting briefly.

''Be home at a decent hour,'' Lorelai said. ''And have fun.'' A small smile broke through her barriers.

''We will,'' Tristan responded while backing up onto the porch, pulling Rory with him.

''Be careful,'' Lorelai softly said to her daughter.

''I will,'' Rory said before disappearing outside.

Lorelai closed the door while the two friends headed down the couple of steps and towards the limo Tristan had rented especially for this night. Rory didn't comment on it, but just grasped his hand a little tighter.

-x-x-x-

As soon as they walked into the Italian restaurant, Rory was in awe. When their coats were taken, she awkwardly handed hers over, lacking the experience and confidence most others in this restaurant had. The woman who took their coats, called over someone else, a man, to lead them to their table which he did with skill as he gracefully maneuvered himself passed various tables, not stopping once. Rory took in the smell of Italian bread and pizza as they passed the kitchen, stopping finally at a booth that was faintly visible in the candle light. Soft music played as the man placed a basket with bread on the table. The menus followed. ''Your table is ready,'' he stated while looking over at the couple.

''Thank you,'' Rory said, earning herself an appreciative smile from the young man before her.

''I'll be back to take your orders shortly,'' the man said, excusing himself before walking off.

''After you,'' Tristan said with a nod in the direction of the booth, watching as Rory slid into it, instantly reaching for a piece of bread. He seated himself, too, their sides snugly touching.

''This bread is amazing,'' Rory remarked, still chewing. ''It's different from normal bread; it's more Italian, though less French. It lacks the cheesy aftertaste of French bread. This is more herby.''

Tristan chuckled while grabbing and opening a menu. Rory did the same. She read through it twice before glancing sideways at him.

''What?''

''What's a double cheese burger with extra bacon in Italian?''

-x-x-x-

''I love Italian ice-cream,'' Rory declared while scooping up the very last melting remains of her ice-cream coupe. ''I can't believe you ordered a cappuccino when there were so many different coupes and flavors of ice-cream available.'' She stuck the spoon in her mouth and closed her eyes, enjoying her last bite of Italian ice-cream.

Tristan took her in with a soft smile. It was so easy to make her happy; the smallest gesture would do. His eyes remained on her face even when she opened hers and caught him staring. ''It's just ice-cream, you know,'' he uttered, trying to mask his interest, though he wasn't trying his best at it.

''Well, if it is just ice-cream, can I have more of it?'' she asked with a smile.

''You can have anything you want.''

Rory shyly lowered her eyes. Tristan stole a glance at her, looking her up and down, something he would never do while she was looking. He had noticed the little red dress she had put on especially for this night and how she looked in it, though he preferred her cuddled up in her coat, looking the way she did when he picked her up earlier this evening. He stopped his train of thoughts by reaching for her hand, aware that she had a boyfriend to stay true to. His fingers loosely entwined with hers as he started to pull her out of the booth, making her look up.

''Dance with me?'' he asked, allowing Rory a way out, though she didn't take it; instead, she followed him onto the dance-floor.

She turned to face him and slipped her arms around his neck just as he took a hold of her waist. They started to move to a slow tune they both hadn't heard before, though it didn't matter. He watched her as she looked around the restaurant, admiring the extravagance of it once more. ''I feel like a movie star,'' she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned her head, their eyes locking. He was staring at her again. ''What?'' she asked.

''You have blue eyes.''

Rory said nothing as she snuggled into Tristan a bit more.

* * *

**REVIEW! Please? :-)** Okay, well, that's it. Rory and Tristan are on their way to go back to normal...or are they? No Dean or Matt in this chapter, though they will make at least one more appearance in this story. Thanks for reading and if you also read stories on other pairins, please check out my Lit _Homeboy _and/or my Rogan _Caught. _Thanks you :-)


	16. Stuck

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

**A/N: **Hey, I don't have a lot to say. Here's the chapter I promised, though it took me a little while to typ up. Thanks to _Alexia _for beta-ing. :)

* * *

Stuck

The next evening, Dean and Rory found themselves ending up on the couch; they always did. They would pick up a movie or two and then order a pizza or some other kind of take-out and watch the movie in a comfortable silence. This night had been no exception to their usual routine. Dean's arm was casually slung across Rory's shoulders, his eyes never leaving the screen, not even when he reached for another slice of pizza or for his drink. Rory sat beside him with her knees pulled up to her chest, her chin resting on top of them, her eyes also intently locked on the screen, though she, unlike her boyfriend, wasn't paying any attention to the movie.

She was wrapped up in her thoughts and she was comfortable there, as comfortable as she looked sitting there with her sleeves pulled over her hands and a smile intact on her face, slightly hidden behind the loose strands of hair that framed her delicate features. She was happy, satisfied with the moment she found herself caught in. It felt familiar; she had been in this situation before. The picture might end up being framed differently every now and then, but the image remained the same: Dean and her, together. They still acted as if they had just learned to be comfortable around each other. They knew what lines not to cross and which boundaries not to overstep; the rules had been set in stone ever since their very first date.

They seemed made for each other, though in Rory's head, the picture had began to fade. Dean was nice. A good first boyfriend, but the thing with first boyfriends was that, although they would never be forgotten, they would become a part of your past eventually. A first boyfriend was a stepping stone to the relationships that would surely follow.

She quickly glanced at Dean, carelessly wiping her hair away from her face only to have it fall back in place seconds later. She smiled. He was just as she would always remember: perfect. He cared, though maybe not enough. At the same time, she felt like she was just looking for a change.

The giddy feeling at the pit of her stomach ended up finding its way up her spine as she thought back on her date with Tristan. It had been meant to mean nothing, but a night out for the two of them, a simple break, though it was the first time in a while that she had felt so nervous and excited about spending time with a boy. Ironically enough, it was her best friend that gave her the feeling. The same friend that had spent several nights falling asleep on her bed, with her lying calmly by his side; it happened often, although she knew that the next time it happened, she wouldn't be able to close her eyes before he did so. Something had changed and she hadn't seen it.

In her mind, the memory of the party still lingered, but it was slowly fading; she knew he felt guilty; she could see it in his eyes every time she dared to look up at them . They were blue, a perfect match for her own.

She hugged her knees tighter, biting her lip while returning her eyes to the screen, wanting to follow whatever had Dean so caught up, but she knew that she was failing when her mind wandered back to the night before. With a soft sigh, she gave in, not fighting anymore, though she didn't know when the battle had started.

When the phone rang, she got up, too quickly, glad for the temporary distraction. Dean threw a glance in her direction as she walked off to answer the phone, focusing his attention back on the screen soon enough.

She found the phone lying solemnly on the kitchen table. She picked it up and sat down while answering. ''Hello?''

''Hey, are you busy?

A smile hesitantly tugged at Rory's lips, realizing who it was. ''Actually, I'm on a date.''

''Anyone I know?''

''You know I'm on a date with Dean; I told you about it last night,'' she reminded.

''Right, you agreed to have him over for movies and pizza because he couldn't eat lunch with you.''

''Well, the conversation we had was a bit on the private side,'' Rory mumbled, lowering her voice, even though she knew that Dean could never hear her over the movie.

''So you only invited him over because you owed him a date? I never expected that from you,'' he commented.

''It's not like that. He's my boyfriend. I want him here,'' she added, wondering if it was the case.

''Is that so?'' Rory could hear the amusement in Tristan's voice as he continued. ''Are you sure you want him there?'' She was about to answer, but was cut off. ''Even when I show up on your doorstep?''

''What do you mean?'' she asked, nervous for the wrong reasons. ''Where are you?'' quickly followed, her voice close to panicking.

''Now now, there's no need to get yourself excited. You still have more than enough time to get rid of that boyfriend of yours.''

''Tris-''

''I still have about ten minutes of driving to do, eleven if you count the parking,'' he said, anticipating her question.

''You can't come over.''

''Why not?'' he asked. ''I'm just being friendly.''

''Well, can't you be friendly tomorrow?''

Tristan held back a chuckle. ''Is that your way of saying that you don't want me to keep you company?''

''No...yes...I mean...Tristan, you can't come over. I'm on a date!''

''So get him out of there.''

''He's my boyfriend,'' she said, not knowing who she was trying to convince anymore.

''So you're choosing him over me? Is that what you're saying?''

''No.'' She bit her lip. ''He's my boyfriend! I can't just send him home.''

''Then don't,'' he offered. ''Send me home. I can still make a very dangerous U-Turn and go back. Is that what you want?''

Rory bit her lip again, letting her teeth sink in deeper this time, guilty. ''No, I'll get him out of here. But this is just a one time thing and it'll never happen again, okay?''

''Okay.''

There was a short silence before he spoke again. ''You better hurry; you still have eight more minutes, maybe nine if I drive really slow.''

''Thanks,'' she sarcastically said before hanging up. Rory placed the phone back down on the table and stared at it for a while before finally turning around and heading back into the living room.

Dean looked up at her. ''Who was it?''

''My mom,'' she lied, more easily than she had expected. ''She called to check up on me; I wasn't feeling that well earlier so...''

''Oh, are you feeling okay now?''

Rory shrugged. ''I feel better, though my stomach's still upset.''

''Is it bad?'' Dean asked, no longer looking at her.

''As long as I sit still it's bearable,'' she said, basing her explanation on another lie. She bit her lip again. ''I'll feel better if I lie down, though.''

Dean nodded while getting up, grabbing his jacket from the back of the couch in the process. ''You should have just said so instead of lying to me.''

''I'm sorry. I just wanted for us to have a good time without you having to worry about how I was feeling.''

''And how exactly are you feeling, Rory?'' he asked, snapping at her.

''Not so good,'' she honestly said while taking a step back from him, though he made no attempt of approaching her.

''You should have just said something; it isn't fair to me.''

''I'm sorry. I just wanted...''

''You're not sick,'' Dean stated, knowing that he was right when she said nothing in return. ''You're just pretending to be sick to get me out of here.''

''No,'' Rory tried, though she knew it was too late to save anything.

''I overheard you talking to him,'' Dean said, calming himself down by raking his fingers through his hair. ''I didn't mean to. I was curious.''

''Dean,'' Rory started, near crying when she heard him explain himself to her. It was supposed to be the other way around.

''No, it's fine. I just wish you would have said something to me; if you had said something, I would have left you alone and I...I would have understood.'' He looked at her as she wrapped her arms around herself and uttered an apology. He sighed. ''I should probably go since he'll be here any minute and I don't wanna be in the way.'' His tone was bitter, though his eyes remained soft as he locked eyes with her once more before heading for the door and leaving, not bothering to close the door behind him.

When Tristan drove up the Gilmore's driveway, Dean was already out of sight. Tristan headed up the steps quickly, noticing that the door stood open. He politely knocked, not wanting to make it too hard on Rory, although it didn't take long for him to step into the house. ''Rory,'' he said, closing the door behind him. ''Rory!''

When still no one answered, he entered the living room, finding no one. ''Rory!'' he tried again, heading over to her room. The door was also open and this time, he did just go in, not bothering to make himself known.

He heard the shower run. ''Rory,'' he said while walking over to the closed bathroom door. He knocked, louder when there was no response. He tried the door and was able to open it with ease. He pushed it open with care, quickly scanning the small room before letting his eyes land upon the shower cabin. He spotted her. ''Princess,'' he whispered while hurrying over to her.

It worried him that she didn't acknowledge him, though the water that was pouring down on her worried him even more. He turned off the ice-cold water before lowering himself down next to her, not caring that the water was seeping through his own clothes. He was more worried about her clothes that lay in a heap beside her and her underwear that was drenched through and through.

Her teeth clattered.

''Princess,'' he said again, reaching out to touch her.

She turned her head away, not looking at him.

''I'm sorry,'' he said, slumping back against the wall and pulling his hand back.

Soon enough, his clothes would be just as drenched.

* * *

**REVIEW! Please :) **Well, this chapter wasn't as good as I could have done it, but after re-doing it two times, I just decided to put it up. I hope it wasn't that bad and that you would be kind enough to review. Oh, and please be patient when it comes to the next chapter. Thanks :) 


	17. As Sweet as a Rose Flashback

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

**A/N:** So it's definitely been a while since I updated this story and just so you know, it's because I didn't want to, but it's because I didn't have the time and still don't; I just made time for it. It was way after midnight when I finally finished this chapter so hopefully it was worth it. Okay, so this is just one big flashback to ease both myself and you into this story once more. Plus, I thought that it worked. Oh, I don't have a beta-reader (anymore) so if you find any mistakes or if it's really that bad, please let me know. Thanks :)

* * *

As Sweet as a Rose (Flashback)

As the bell rang, yet another Friday afternoon came to an end. Books were gathered and plans were made as students exited the classrooms and headed for their lockers, more than ready to leave their books behind so they would have their hands free to carry the keg or feel up their date for the evening. Rory was also in a hurry to get to her locker, though her plans were of a different kind; there were no parties to crash on her agenda, nor did she have a date to prepare for and she wouldn't have it any other way, she didn't know it any other way. She looked forward to the night that still lay ahead of her, even though her partner in crime had other things in mind and as usual, she was clueless, too innocent for her own good.

She greeted him with a warm smile, happy and excited at the same time. He, unlike her, wasn't blind, though didn't speak up just yet; it was too soon to ruin the moment. ''Hey,'' she said cheerfully, holding her books to her chest in the way only she could. ''So, do you know what kind of movies you're in the mood for?''

He shrugged. ''I'm not really in the mood for anything.'' He was going for the subtle approach, though he knew that time was scarce and that in the end, her soft landing would be compromised.

''Oh...well, we can always just rent a bunch of different movies, you know, something for every mood.''

He caught the fervent flash of green from the other side of the hallway and sighed. ''Actually, I was hoping I could take a rain-check on our movie night...'' His voice trailed off as he waited for her to say something; he expected her to have something on her mind, though in the end, she surprised him by just looking at him, in anticipation of the rest.

''I have a date,'' he finally admitted, finishing his earlier sentence.

''Oh.''

He heard the disappointment, but couldn't help himself from glancing sideways one more time. Time was running out.

''Why didn't you tell me sooner?''

When he looked at her again, she had dropped her gaze down to the floor. The delicate tone she spoke in made him think twice, though it lasted for only a second. She had always been vulnerable to changes, but they were in high-school now and change was inevitable. He had a reputation to build up and going out with the head of the cheerleaders was the first step in the right direction, it was his lucky break. He knew Rory could care less about where she stood within a crowd, but he didn't; he wanted to fit in and be a part of the crowd. He had been raised not to have it any other way.

''She didn't ask me until a few hours ago,'' he offered as an explanation.

''But we had plans,'' she said, purposely choosing to remind him once more. She was trying to hold on to him, claiming him as hers, although she knew that it was a selfishly childish act on her part because he had never been hers to keep.

She wasn't good at sharing.

''Look,'' he started off, close to losing his patience with her, not seeing where she was coming from, ''Don't make such a big deal out of it; it's just a date.''

She took a step back, distancing herself from him, wanting to ease herself into it all, though he never gave her a chance. He had always been reckless when it came to her feelings. ''What's her name?'' she asked, almost shyly.

''Rosemary.''

The words gracefully dropped from his lips in a soft whisper, making her steal a dark glance at the other girl: the siren with the flaming hair. She looked like the other side of a fairytale. Tristan had always had a liking for the darker sides of stories, the parts that screamed trouble. Rosemary was the poisoned apple he couldn't resist. However, this was different. She was different and Rory saw it; she had the privilege of sitting in the front-row so she could watch each page being turned from up close and for once, she wasn't looking forward to the ending.

She looked away, salvaging the composure she still had, though cracks were rapidly appearing and if she gave him the chance, he would see straight through her, something she wouldn't allow this time; she had no right to shame him into staying and into making him choose her over the dark princess.

She pulled back, forgetting about the books in her arms as she granted him his wish. ''I have a bus to catch,'' she told him while almost gliding passed him on her way out of his.

He tried reaching for her, but grasped for abandoned air instead.

She was already out of his reach when he turned around and called after her, offering her a ride home, already knowing that she wouldn't take it because she was stubborn and so was he.

x-x-x

From that day on, they started to drift, growing apart gradually. He hardly ever sat with Rory anymore at lunch, nor did she bother to look for him. He sat with his friends instead, Rosemary by his side whenever and wherever and while he became happier with each day, she became more lonely.

She missed him and the attention she was often the center off. She missed having someone around to notice her and the haze of blue he always had her in.

It didn't take her long to realize that things were no longer the same and to make the changes that always followed such a revelation. She began to wear her hair down instead of tied up in the practical and usual ponytail. Other changes followed, always small, but noticeable enough for people to look her way every now and then.

Tristan was the first to notice.

She had been looking for the books to her next class while he stood to the side, watching and waiting to walk her to her class, the only indulgence he could still afford. (Rosemary had a tendency to jump to conclusions rather quickly).

He had immediately seen the changes she had made: the chocolate locks that now framed her face, the faint shimmering of her lips, and the lingering smell of strawberries that, whether strategically or thoughtlessly placed, was intoxicating. The plaid skirt and the allure of her bedroom eyes completed the innocent schoolgirl look. It turned the heads of a lot of guys, though none managed to get to her, except one.

Dean Forrester had seen Rory Gilmore around town and found her attractive with or without her school uniform. In his eyes, she was as interesting as a person could get; she had a lot to say and since he was more of a listener, they seemed like the most perfect match.

Lane was the one who finally introduced them to one and other, not oblivious to whatever it was between them.

Dean was in awe of her every thing while Rory was pleasantly surprised by his constant attention.

They took their time settling into their relationship and moved slow. They were satisfied with holding hands until an opportunity came up.

Their was a dance at her school and as nervous as she was, she wanted to go, with him. So she asked and like a good boyfriend, he agreed to go.

The dance was all Rory could talk about.

A couple of hours before the big event, with her dress already laid out on her bed and her shoes picked to match, she waited for Tristan by his car. As soon as he reached her, she couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out, ''I have a boyfriend.'' She grinned and he did what was expected, he smiled and offered to take her home, hoping to find out everything there was to know about the new guy in Rory's life, trying, even though he knew that it wouldn't change the opinion he already had.

x-x-x

That night, Dean picked Rory up in this car, complimenting her on the way she looked while opening the door for her, like the perfect gentleman he was. They arrived at the dance on time and as she made her way through the crowd with Dean by her side, people watched, amazed at how good they looked together.

When Dean finally reached for her hand and asked her to dance, she eagerly agreed. She was as happy as she could be, lost in the moment while fantasizing about the next chapter of her fairytale, though the story took on an unforeseen turn when the handsome prince had to make room for and unexpected visiter.

Tristan politely tapped on Dean's shoulder and kindly smiled when they came eye to eye. ''Would you mind if I cut in?''

Dean looked over at Rory whom rolled her eyes in an unladylike manner at Tristan's sudden approach. ''Dean, this is Tristan. He's a friend,'' she added.

''You must be the boyfriend,'' Tristan said while holding out his hand for Dean to shake, wanting to make a good impression for Rory's sake. Dean shook hands with him and gave him permission to dance with Rory, his girlfriend, although he didn't like it.

Tristan danced with her in silence while studying her. Once again, he saw the changes, the stars in her eyes and the glow she seemed to have about her.

She looked in love.

Deciding not to wear of his welcome, he parted from her after just one dance. ''Rosemary's waiting,'' he said, though his heart wasn't in it tonight. Rory smiled and found his eyes. She looked happy. ''You look beautiful, princess.'' He brushed his lips against her hand quickly before leaving her.

x-x-x

The next day, Rory and Tristan met up at their lockers. Her eyes shone with excitement, leaving him no choice but to ask for the reason. Giddy, she turned to look at him. ''Last night, Dean and I kissed.'' She grinned. ''I had my first kiss.''

Tristan managed a smile, knowing that as a good friend he was supposed to be happy for her.

''It sure took you long enough.''

Rory's cheeks reddened at his remark. ''I was just waiting for the right person.''

''And you're sure Dean is that person?'' he pushed gently.

Rory met his gaze. ''I don't know for sure, but I do know how he makes me feel and that I think about him all the time.''

A hint of a smile showed on his face and she looked away, embarrassed at her childlike excitement. ''I know that it's just a kiss and that it's nothing compared to what you and your girlfriends have done, but-''

''I think it's nice,'' he interrupted.

''Really? You don't think it's silly?''

He shook his head. ''Your first kiss is supposed to be special.''

She smiled at the recent memory his words triggered. She dreamily looked up at him again. ''Was your first kiss special?''

For a second, he was taken back; she had never showed interest in any of his relationships before, nor did he ever talk about them with her. To him it didn't feel right to talk about what or how he felt; it made him feel too vulnerable, especially in her presence.

''None of my first times were special,'' he answered honestly, hoping that it would be enough to ward her off.

''Oh,'' she started while trying to imagine in what pain he would have been in if he had only opened himself up to it, ''I'm sorry.''

Tristan shrugged. ''It's all behind me now.''

''Yeah, but-''

''And I tend not to dwell on the past,'' he cut her off sharply, giving her a warning before she could go too far. While she lowered her gaze down to her shoes, he lowered his down to his watch. ''I have to go,'' he announced. ''Rosemary's supposed to meet me, but I guess she forgot so...''

''You're going to find her,'' Rory finished for him.

He nodded. ''Yeah, I'll see later.''

''Yeah, later,'' she mumbled while watching him walk off.

x-x-x

A couple of hours later, during lunch, Rory was surprised to find Tristan sitting at her table, waiting for her. He tried smiling, but found himself not being able to.

She said nothing as she sat down.

x-x-x

Later on that evening, Rory lay on her bed reading, though she had done nothing but stare at the same page for a while now. For once, she didn't have Dean on her mind; instead, Tristan had occupied her thoughts. His behavior during lunch didn't make any sense to her and for the last few hours she had done nothing but worry about him. He was the kind of person to shut people out of his world as soon as something gave him a reason to. He bottled it all up until he finally broke down. She had been around to witness it on a few rare occasions and each time her heart had ached for him.

A soft, but sudden knock on her window shook her out of her reflection. As soon as she saw his face behind the glass, she was up and made her way over to the window quickly to open it. The simple action reminded her of nights before, although this time, there was more to it.

She could read the unspoken from his face and let him in without questioning his late night visit. She made her way back over to her bed while he took his time closing the window. He took off his jacket and shoes, as a habit, before joining her, giving her the advantage of lying on her stomach while he lay on his back, vulnerable.

He didn't say anything for a while and Rory didn't push it, even though she wondered about the reason of his being here. She restlessly turned pages in her book and held back sighs. He noticed, but did nothing but watch for a few more minutes, pleased with her anxiousness.

When she caught him, he knew that he could no longer find refuge in the silence; he had to speak up before it drove him crazy. For once, he needed someone to listen to him and just be there. He looked up at the ceiling. ''Remember yesterday when Rosemary was supposed to meet me?''

''Yeah.''

''Well, it ends up that she didn't really forget that she was meeting me. She just said that she would.'' He sighed. ''She never intended on actually meeting me there.''

Rory said nothing, not knowing what to say; the pieces of the puzzle weren't in place just yet.

He sighed again. ''The night of the dance, I took Rosemary home with me and we...''

''Had sex?'' Rory said, looking down at her book just as he looked back down at her.

''Yeah, and even though it wasn't my first time, it still felt like it could have been.''

''It felt special?'' she asked while glancing at him through her locks.

Tristan nodded, though the smile never reached his face. ''The next morning she wasn't there anymore; she went home to change before school. She did leave a note thanking me for the night before and asking me to meet up with her at my locker.''

''Which she didn't.''

''Which she didn't,'' he repeated.

''Tris, I really want to get it, but-''

''She wasn't looking for a boyfriend,'' he told her. ''She was just looking for a one night stand. It was all about the sex for her. She even told me so when I went to look for her.''

''Oh... I'm sorry,'' Rory added as an afterthought.

Tristan shrugged. ''I should have seen it coming; I often treat girls the same way. What goes around comes around, right?''

''It still sucks though.''

Tristan chuckled. ''Yeah, it still sucks.''

You'll find someone else, you know,'' she said while moving a little closer, trying to give him the comfort he needed and was seeking for for once.

''Maybe.''

''You will.''

Tristan found her eyes in a heartbeat and smiled. He brought his hand up to her hair and ran his fingers through the mess of strands before pulling her down next to him. ''Thanks, princess.'' He kissed her on her forehead.

She smiled against his chest while tangling her legs with his, silently asking him to stay, at least until she had fallen asleep and he did, he stayed.

* * *

**Please review?** Truthfully, I'm not expecting a whole lot of reviews for this chapter 'cause I'm not even sure if anyone is still reading this since it's been such a long time since my last update so if anyone is still following this, it'll just be a pleasant surprise. :) And I now still have somewhat of a cliffhanger to work with in my upcoming chapter, but I wanted to give you a glimpse into their past and show you what kind of relationship they have and how it works.As for the next update, all I can do is ask you to be patient; I want to do my best on this story. Thanks :)


	18. Cry, Baby

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

**A/N:** I was planning on updating this story sooner, but postponed it because I wanted this chapter to be just right, something that it still isn't, but at least I tried. :) Thanks again for the reviews and letting me know that people are still interested in this story and easying my worries. A special thanks to _SpringSnow_; it means a lot. :) Again, I feel like I can do this without a beta, but if you come across mistakes, big or small, please let me know.

* * *

Cry, Baby

Images hazed over while memories were wound up around each other as Rory reached a state of near consciousness. Her eyelids consistently fluttered while she twisted and turned in her bed, haphazardly rumpling up her sheets in her struggle to keep her bubble from bursting. She frenziedly clawed at her sheets, not wanting to reach the point of no return; she wasn't ready to wake up. She wanted to stay put and wrapped up in her dreamy state, an entrancement of blue streaks that swirled through all of her mind's pictures, leaving her in a daze of blue. It was an intense shade that made her thoughts itch with something that remained on the tip of her tongue; thinking straight while caught up in the dreamy mess of her mind proved difficult, although she felt herself slip even further out of reach with each discarded second and in the end, a slash of even deeper blue was all it took for her to let it all slip from between her fingers. She no longer clung to her sheets as she bridged the remaining distance over to another state of being.

Her eyes opened.

''You're awake,'' were the first words she heard as she blinked a few times, waiting to snap out of her disorientation. ''Mom,'' she acknowledged once she had traced back the words.

''For a while you had me thinking that you slipped into some sort of coma,'' Lorelai joked, although her tone kept its worried edge.

Rory's eyes settled themselves steadily on the set of clear blue orbs before her. ''What time is it?''

''Oh, it's somewhere in the afternoon,'' Lorelai answered while soundlessly getting up out of her chair. ''It seems like you had quite an eventful night.''

Memories of last night rushed to her head, leaving her dizzy with emotions. ''Where's Tristan?'' she asked while turning her eyes away, passing the bathroom door before setting themselves aside on the wall next to it.

''I sent him home after I found you two in the shower,'' Lorelai said pointedly, though she didn't push any further. She watched as Rory's hands slipped down to her shirt; it was a different one than she could remember. ''You didn't think I would let you go to sleep in clothes that were soaking wet, did you?''

Rory's gaze met her mom's. ''Thanks.''

''Any time, kiddo.'' Lorelai sat down carefully on the edge of her daughter's bed. ''So, are you going to tell me what happened?'' she abruptly began, unsure of how to deal with what she had come across last night. ''There must be an event that led to the sudden urge for a cold shower,'' she continued determinedly when Rory didn't respond.

Rory absent-mindedly ran a finger across the seams in her shirt. ''I broke up with Dean,'' she said as her finger continued down the same path.

''Okay, that's a start, though I must admit that it's catching me a bit off guard, like a bomb. Actually it feels more like one of those nuclear ones.''

Rory just shrugged. ''Dean doesn't like Tristan, he never did.''

''Now that was more of a gunshot than a bomb,'' Lorelai uttered before looking at Rory. ''Sweets, I want to understand, I really do, but what you're saying is nothing new.''

Rory dropped her arm back down to her side. ''Dean was jealous of Tristan, mom.'' She sighed. ''Last night I was watching a movie with Dean when Tristan called to say that he was on his way over,'' she started off informatively. ''I told Tristan that he couldn't come over and that Dean was there, but he didn't listen so I ended up lying to Dean and telling him that I was sick just to get him out of the house so he wouldn't run into Tristan.''

''Ah, so you chose Tristan over Dean?'' Lorelai confirmed.

Rory shook her head. ''No, it wasn't like that. I was preventing a confrontation,'' she explained before shortly pausing. ''Tristan's stubborn, you know that, and he wasn't going to turn back so I-''

''Sweets,'' he mom stopped her. ''You lied to Dean.''

''Only because Tristan wouldn't turn back,'' Rory repeated softly. ''I didn't mean to upset anyone.''

''I know you didn't,'' Lorelai began, easing her along gently, ''but lying to Dean was a bad move, especially since he and Tristan have never gotten along.''

''I know it was a bad move, mom,'' Rory said somewhat annoyed. ''Dean broke up with me.''

''Because of Tristan,'' Lorelai reminded her. ''I hate to break it to you, sweets, but you have a thing for drama.'' She brought her hand up to Rory's face.

''Mom.''

''Well, taking an ice cold shower in your underwear was a very dramatic thing to do,'' she remarked while sympathetically brushing a lock of hair to the side.

''I wasn't thinking,'' Rory told her mom.

''Obviously.'' She pulled back her hand. ''Otherwise you would have told Tristan to go home.''

''Mom,'' Rory began, ''it wasn't his fault.''

''Maybe not entirely, but he should have respected the fact that you were on a date with your boyfriend.''

''He's stubborn,'' Rory weakly defended.

''Maybe,'' Lorelai agreed. ''Or maybe it's something else.''

''Like what?''

Lorelai shrugged. ''I don't know, but you said so yourself that he has never liked Dean.''

''And Dean has never liked Tristan.''

''Exactly.''

''What are you talking about?'' Rory asked, looking up at her mom with her big blue eyes.

Lorelai just smiled. ''Nothing.'' She clasped Rory's hand in her own. ''I just don't like to see this happen to you.'' She gave her daughter's hand a soft squeeze before letting go. ''I'm going to Luke's for some coffee, do you want anything?''

''No, thanks. I don't really feel like eating right now.''

''Okay, but I'll be back to check on you later,'' Lorelai promised while getting up.

As the door closed, Rory shifted her gaze over to the window, a flood of memories following soon after.

She spent the entire day in bed, consumed with heartache of another kind.

x-x-x

The next morning, Rory missed her bus; she didn't set her alarm clock the night before. She wasn't planning on going to school that Monday and when Lorelai found her daughter in the same state as the day before, tucked away in her bed in clothes that were too big with unruly locks, she agreed to keep her at home one more day. Rory promised to eat, but all she managed were a few spoonfuls of ice-cream.

Her mom called a couple of times to check up on her and each time Rory told her the same, that she was fine, although she didn't really know how she was doing. Dean had broken up with her and still she hadn't shed so much as a single tear over him. Her thoughts had wandered off to him once in a while, though for most of the time she didn't think of anything and just stared at the window.

It was somewhere in the afternoon that she heard a car out in the driveway. When the unlocking and opening of the front door followed, she was positive that it was her mom, even though the footsteps weren't as careful as they approached, yet the knock on her door was too soft. She said nothing as the door opened.

Tristan's eyes found her as soon as he stepped into her room. She lay unkept in her bed, her appearance tainted by doubts and emotions that were waiting for her just beneath the surface. ''Hey,'' he said, making himself known as he took another couple of steps into the room. ''I brought you your homework and the notes you missed today,'' he went on while holding up the thin stack of paper he had in his hands. ''They're Paris's.''

''Thanks.''

Tristan nodded. ''Where do you want them?''

Rory shrugged. ''On my desk's fine.''

He placed the stack on her desk, turning his back to her for a second or two. When he turned back around, she had tears in her eyes. ''Rory.''

She brought her chin down to her chest, embarrassed by her sudden outburst; she hated to cry in front of someone, but this was something that she couldn't help. The time she had spent thinking about Dean had not left her with one crack while at the sight of Tristan she was openly falling apart.

She felt the bed shift as he sat down. ''Ror.''

She stubbornly kept her head down, lightly shaking as tears continued to fall.

''Princess,'' he said, touching her face with just the tips of his fingers, reminding her of snowflakes that swayingly made contact with her skin. His light touch left behind the same burning sensation, rekindling the color in her now rosy cheeks. ''Hey, look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here Saturday night and I know that it's my fault, but I'll talk to Dean and explain. It can all be fixed,'' Tristan said, desperately trying to convince her of his right.

Rory shook her head. ''No.''

''Yes, it can. I'll find a way to-''

''I don't want it to be fixed,'' she fell in. Her chest heaved as she took an erratic breath and ran her fingers across her cheeks. ''You know, I didn't cry all day yesterday or the night before and then now when-''

''You bottled it all up,'' he told her.

''No.'' She fiercely shook her head and looked up at him. ''It's because of you; I mean, you just showed up and I started to cry.''

''And does it make you feel better now that you know that?'' Tristan asked cooly.

She saw him tense up before her. ''Tristan, I-''

''Look, I know that I've been a bad friend by treating you the way I did and by taking advantage of your trust, but I'm sorry and I have told you that so many times.''

''Tris, please.''

He ignored her plea. ''You have no idea of how guilty I feel and of how it's eating me up inside and I take the full blame for what happened on Saturday, but you can't sit there and...'' He stopped and lowered his eyes. ''I don't need the extra guilty, Rory, I don't.''

''Tristan,'' she pleaded with him.

He brought his gaze up again and locked it with hers. ''I can take a lot from you, but making you cry...'' He ran a hand through his hair. ''God, when did I become that person.''

''Stop,'' Rory said firmly, blindly reaching for his hand and lacing her fingers through his. ''I didn't, we both...'' She choked up on her own words, not quite knowing what to say. Her emotions were a mess and he couldn't tell her what she was trying to say because of it.

They were both left dangling in each other's comfort.

''It's okay,'' Tristan assured her.

''No, it's not I...'' She bit her lip and briefly looked away from him, trying to cope with all that she was feeling, but she knew that she couldn't; it was just too much. When she faced him again, it all started to move at a rapid pace. She pulled at his hand while leaning in, meeting him halfway. She wasn't thinking when she pressed her lips against his.

Tristan felt her grip on his hand tighten as she got pulled into the experience. He on the other hand, remained at its edges, knowing how easy it was to give in and to take advantage. He had dreamt about it at night and had fantasized about it during the day and no matter how badly he wanted her, he still was the one to push her away. ''You don't know what you're doing,'' he stated when he looked back down into her eyes. She was confused.

''I do.''

''No, you don't,'' he said. ''You're upset and don't know how to deal with it.''

''No, I-''

''Your first boyfriend broke up with you, it's understandable,'' Tristan went on, not knowing if he would have the will power to go on if he gave her a chance to stop him. He wanted to do the right thing for a change.

Rory pulled her hand from his as tears started to well up once more. ''It's your fault,'' she whimpered. ''It's all your fault.''

''Princess-''

''I hate you,'' was all she managed before she broke down completely.

He left, unable to look at her any longer. A part of him hated her, too, because of how she had managed to make him feel even more guilty than he already did.

* * *

**Please review! (: **I know, this was incredibly dramatic, wasn't it? I just had to stir up something between them because the kiss was sudden and seemed to come forth out of confusion so I hope you weren't disappointed with the result. Plus, I think that Tristan had a right to get upset at her just out of sheer frustration and what not, right:) Anyway, I feel good about this chapter and I hope you like it, too, because no matter how much I just like writing for me, I am also curious to what you might think. Thanks. :) 


	19. Come Around

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is imagination and the plot.

**A/N: **I tested your patience once more and I apologize for that, but I'm having a bit of trouble continuing this story since the plot has pretty much been played out by now and usually I just end the story after that, but now I actually want to try to start off Rory and Tristan's relationship before ending the story so I hope you'll stick with me for that.

* * *

Come Around

The next morning, Rory looked for Tristan at her locker only to find that he wasn't there. She hadn't expected him to be, though a part of her had hoped that he would; after all, they were friends and friends fought, but also made up in the end because everyone made mistakes, with or without reason. It kept people on their feet and showed them that no one was anything but human, often choosing their heart above their mind. The challenge was to be the bigger person in the situation and to put oneself in the other person's shoes so to see what it would be like to walk a mile in them, feeling the weight the other had to carry upon their shoulders and seeing through their eyes while doing so. One's heart was shaped to the amount of understanding it could hold for the other's actions and for the other's mistakes. It showed what kind of person someone was.

Last night had showed what kind of person she wasn't; her own side was all she had seen. It had been easy to blame everything on him and to hate him for not helping her patch it all up. She had even thought that a kiss would be able to wake her up, even though she had already been awake all of this time. Everything _had_ happened and there was no way to undo it. All she could do was find a way to live with it.

At peace with her concluding thoughts, she made her way over to her first class, having expected the looks she got as soon as she walked through the door; she was the water that kept the gossip mill up and running for another day. She felt slightly out of place for the first few seconds, though after another few she managed to settle for a feeling of discomfort.

Paris who guardedly took place in the empty seat beside her, threw her a questioning look, one she answered to with a small smile. Madeline voiced her concern by simply asking if she was okay while Louise went for the more frank approach, caring more for the reason behind her one day absence than for the damage it had done. ''What happened?''

Rory shrugged, trying to weasel her way out of it, although Louise saw straight through her maneuver; she had a nose for secrets and lies. ''You didn't come to school yesterday and you always come to school, even when you're sick so something must have been going on, something serious,'' Louise emphasized, her eyes piercing as they kept a close watch on Rory who squirmed in her seat until finally casting her eyes down, unable to sell another lie after all she had been through. ''I broke up with my boyfriend. It happened this Sunday so I wasn't really in the mood to go to school yesterday,'' she spilled.

''You broke up with Dean?'' Paris asked skeptically.

''Actually, he broke up with me.''

''I'm sorry, that must have been hard,'' Madeline sympathized.

''Why?'' Louise pushed on, earning herself a foul look from Paris.

''Things just weren't working between us anymore.

''There's someone else, isn't there?''

Rory shook her head, lifting it just as Tristan came into the classroom, the bell ringing shortly after. They caught each other's eyes, though both looked away before their gazes could come to a full collision.

''Well?'' Louise asked impatiently.

Rory looked back at the girl with the golden locks. ''We just weren't as right for each other as we thought we were.''

''That's not even something I can work with, unless I lie. Can I lie?'' Paris shot her another look. ''What, I was just asking.'' Louise flipped her hair over her shoulder while turning back around in her seat as the teacher demanded all of their attention, though Rory's wandered.

For once Tristan sat in the very first row.

x-x-x

During lunch, Rory sat at her usual table alone while Tristan sat with his many friends. Friends that weren't her. Even Matt had managed to reclaim his seat at the other end of the table, not wanting to take the risk. Her back was to Tristan while he had positioned himself so that he could watch her if he wanted to. He had avoided going by his locker, not wanting to run into her because if he did, he wouldn't have the will to just walk away from her again. Her baby blue's would make sure of that.

Last night had provided him with a challenge, one he had taken because of how sick and tired he was of being so careful around her. He had apologized as many times as he thought would be necessary to get rid of his guilt, though it was still there and so was she. He was reminded of what he had done each time he looked at her, of the tears she had wasted on him and of the guilt-trip she was putting him through. Still, he couldn't afford to get too upset at her since he had been the one to set all of it off, yet she had to be the one to finish it.

''Can I join you?'' Rory looked up at the question; Paris hardly ever asked for anything. ''Yeah, of course.''

''So, how are you really doing?'' Paris asked once she sat down.

Rory shrugged up her shoulders. ''Okay.'' She pulled at the thin foil that was still wrapped around her pair of sandwiches. She always brought more than one, counting on Tristan stopping by.

''Really because I know that you and Dean have been together for a while. The break-up just seemed to come out of nowhere,'' Paris added when she got no response out of the girl across from her.

Rory took her time tucking pieces of her hair behind her ears before nodding. ''It did.''

''Then what really happened?''

Rory sunk her teeth into her lower lip, contemplating on it for a moment or two before coming up with an unsure, ''I don't know.''

''Something must have happened?''

''Well, yeah, but nothing big; we broke up over something small, minor even. It was a mistake and-''

''DuGrey's the mistake, isn't he?'' Paris inquired with a sigh. ''He always is,'' she murmured on. ''What were you thinking, Gilmore?''

''What are you talking about?''

''Tristan's the reason why Dean broke up with you, isn't he?''

''How-''

''I've known him for years,'' Paris cut her off. ''I know how he works.''

''Works? Paris, we're just friends.''

''No, you may think that you are, but you're not. You two have been able to keep up the charade for a long time, I'll give you that, but it was always a matter of time. Dean knew that.''

''Are you hearing yourself!'' Rory exclaimed. ''Dean didn't like Tristan and-''

''Because he knew that eventually he would have to step aside.''

''What! Paris, no, I don't like Tristan in that way.''

''Really?'' Paris raised an eyebrow. ''You've never been jealous of one of his girlfriends?''

''I kissed him,'' Rory confessed in a blurting manner.

''I've always been a better people person than people give me credit for.''

''I don't even know why I did it.''

''Because you like him,'' Paris pointed out.

Rory shook her head. ''I can't. I mean, I have no reason to like him after everything he's done.''

''He's always been there for you,'' Paris reminded her gently. ''And you know how sorry he is.''

''Yeah, I know.''

''You just need to put it all behind you and move on,'' was Paris's advice before she got up. ''I still have to go by my locker before my next class starts,'' she offered as an explanation.

Rory nodded while getting up, too; she wasn't hungry anyway.

x-x-x

The two girls left the cafeteria together, though went their separate ways soon after, their lockers at opposite sides of the large hallway. Rory was the first to reach hers and take out her books, not bothering to put them in her book bag as she went back down the hallway in search of Paris, her pace quickening when she saw Matt heading her way. He also sped up, causing for an even greater impact when he purposely bumped into her. Her books dropped to the floor and so did she, getting down on her knees to retrieve them. She tried not to let him get to her, though it was hard as he hovered nearby, finding pleasure in her pain. ''You know, I've always found more pleasure in dominating instead of submitting, what about you?''

''Leave me alone,'' was Rory's only reply as she gathered up all of her books.

''Because from the looks of it, it seems like you've already made your choice,'' Matt continued his assault. He chuckled when she said nothing. ''I've always known that you were easy.''

Rory got up, finally facing him just as Paris approached, her features sharp and her eyes cold once she came to a halt right next to the couple.

''Gellar,'' Matt acknowledged. ''Always the dominating kind.''

''Something you know nothing about since you're a dog,'' Paris returned calmly. ''I feel sorry for the family who decided to take you out of the pound.''

''I can see you're still as civil as always.''

''I don't play nice with rats,'' Paris said while reaching for Rory's arm and pulling her with her as she headed in the opposite direction.

They passed the cafeteria, Tristan standing near the entrance, although Paris was the only one who paid enough attention to catch it, her look piercing as she briefly locked eyes with him and the message more than clear to him so he waited for Rory by her locker after the final bell had rung.

''We need to talk,'' were the first words he spoke to her all day. His voice was leveled and his tone poised, accommodating with the laid back pose he had struck while leaning against a locker. He looked calm enough on the outside, although his nerves were raging on the other end. It was how he knew that he liked her, even though he had a funny way of showing it at times.

''My bus leaves in a couple of minutes,'' Rory told him while pulling her books closer to her chest.

He pulled his keys from his pockets and presented them to her. ''I'll drive you.'' He wasn't giving them another easy way out. ''We can talk on the way.''

She nodded, quietly agreeing with him as they started on their way towards the doors. He let her lead the way, though caught up with her as soon as they were outside, one hand casually hooked in his pocket while he held onto his bag with the other. ''So, I saw you out in the hallway with Matt during lunch,'' he started out of blue, trying to make conversation.

Rory glanced at him. ''You saw that?''

He nodded. ''Yeah, well, part of it anyway. I was going to jump in, but Paris beat me to it.''

''I don't think Paris likes him,'' Rory remarked with a smile.

Tristan snorted. ''I doubt his friends even like him all that much.''

''Like you?'' she asked while looking away from him, waiting as he opened the car door for her. ''I'm not friends with him anymore, although even when we were, I didn't like him that much.'' He pulled back his hand, letting it slip back into his pocket for his keys while starting to back away, though she surprised him by grabbing his sleeve, stopping him. ''Tris, I'm sorry.''

He turned towards her a little and leaned in, letting his lips brush against the skin just beneath her hairline. His slightly pursed lips cracked into a smile when she gave his sleeve a gentle tug, making him take half a step in her direction, the car door not giving them more room to work with.

''Are we okay?'' she asked when pulling back some.

Tristan briefly touched her face. ''Always, princess.''

Rory smiled while getting into the car. She toyed with the radio for a while before finally settling on a station. By that time, they were already on the road.

''I really am sorry, you know,'' Rory began before letting herself get wrapped up in a comfortable silence. ''And I don't hate you. I was just upset and was looking for someone to blame it all on, even though it wasn't your fault. I can't even believe that I said something like that to you,'' she uttered while looking down at her hands. ''I never meant to make you feel so guilty.''

''I hated you for that,'' Tristan confessed to her. ''It just seemed that my apologies didn't matter and that we weren't making any progress when it came to the state of our relationship.'' He paused shortly before going on. ''You know how sorry I am for hurting you and you know how I hate to see you cry.''

Rory nodded ''I know, that's why I kissed you,'' she admitted with a smile.

''You were upset.''

''Well, yeah, but I didn't kiss you because of that, Tristan, no matter what you think.''

''You can't blame me for thinking that; I mean, the kiss came out of nowhere and Dean-''

''Dean had nothing to do with it,'' Rory intercepted. ''Yes, I realize that I had just gotten out of a relationship, but Dean's jealousy and his dislike towards you... I now understand where it was coming from and the way I felt whenever I saw you with someone else, I understand that more, too, although I'm still not exactly sure how I feel.''

''You were jealous of the girls I went out with?'' Tristan asked, surprised at her profession and at her ability to keep it from him; she had hid it from him all too well.

''All the time, especially of Rosemary.''

''Why?'' he inquired, letting his gaze fall upon her for a couple of seconds.

''Because she was more than a conquest to you and it wasn't just about the sex afterwards. You cared for her and I wasn't used to you caring.''

''I care about you.''

''Well, yeah, but that's different. Rosemary was special to you; she was the first girl you had real feelings for and I know that it may be selfish of me, but I wanted to be that girl.''

''You are that girl, princess.'' Tristan's attention strayed as he turned his head in Rory's direction, smiling as he caught the blush that now tainted her cheeks.

''Why didn't you say anything?'' she asked, looking at him just as he looked back at the road, Stars Hollow only a minute or so away.

He shrugged. ''I never thought that you would feel the same way and I wasn't willing to risk our friendship over that. Besides, you deserve much better than me.''

''What if I want you?''

Her tone was soft just like his expression as he found her eyes once more. ''Why?''

''Because you've always been there for me,'' Rory answered, repeating Paris's earlier words. ''And I like being around you. Plus, when I kissed you I-''

''Dean.''

'''What?''

''Dean, on your porch,'' Tristan clarified.

Rory looked over at her porch. ''Dean!'' she confirmed while opening the door in a hurry, though Tristan grabbed her hand before she could get out, making her focus her attention on him again. ''So when you kissed me you...''

Her eyes locked on his. ''I felt something.''

Tristan let go of her hand only to bring his up to the side of her face, unable to hold back a smile as he neatly tucked a stray lock behind her ear. ''Dean's waiting,'' he reminded her, reeling back his hand as she turned her head to look at Dean. ''Right, yeah, I should go; I've kept him waiting long enough.'' She threw her ex-boyfriend a smile and got out of the car, feeling guilty for having proven him right.

''I guess I'll see you tomorrow then,'' Tristan said.

''Yeah.'' She threw a warm smile in his direction. ''Thanks for taking me home.''

''Any time, princess, just promise that I can take you home next time.''

She playfully rolled her eyes, though it didn't take long for a healthy glow to warm her cheeks. ''Bye Tristan.'' She closed the door and he started to back out of the driveway.

* * *

**Review please? (:** Okay, so I know that this chapter wasn't that good or at least, that was the feeling I got while going through it for the second time. I don't do the fluff thing very well which is why I normally just end the story as soon as all of the problems are out of the way. However, I want to tie up this story without it being too sudden so I hope I'm not doing too bad of a job. Thanks again for the reviews. :)


	20. Somewhere Down the Line

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

**A/N:** I'm not even going to explain myself this time; you all know how life can get in the way. :) Anyway, this is somewhat of a filler-like chapter and even though it didn't seem like much in my eyes, I hope I was just being hard on myself, as usual. :)

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Somewhere Down the Line

''Dean, hey,'' Rory greeted her recently exed boyfriend that had yet to get up from the steps he was sitting on. She hooked her thumbs into her back pockets while bringing her head down just enough to shade her eyes from him. ''What are you doing here?''

''I came to drop off some of your stuff,'' he said while tapping the box that stood by his side. ''Some books you lent me, one or two CD's that you probably don't even remember me borrowing...'' he trailed off.

She tilted her head to the side to look at him. ''You kept all of that?''

He nodded. ''Some of your favorite things are in there,'' he told her, no longer having a reason to be careful and modest with his feelings; it didn't matter anymore and it wouldn't change anything. They were broken up and there was nothing he could say or do to change that. She had gotten her mind around it and he had to set his mind on the fact that she had, although seeing her get out of Tristan's car had sparked up some envy in the pit of his stomach.

Meanwhile, she said nothing in return, not knowing what words to say. He had been a big part of her life for a while and it showed in the many things she had shared with him.

''Why don't I carry the box inside for you?'' Dean broke the silence before it had the chance to go on. He grabbed the box with both hands and got up, catching from the corner of his eye how Rory took a quick step back, something he said nothing about because it wasn't his place, not yet. It would take time to get them back in the comfortable place they used to be before they ended up as boyfriend and girlfriend. Still, he couldn't keep from shifting the box to his right arm so he could open the door for her, letting her step into the house first.

''Where's your mom?'' he asked simply to make sure that they wouldn't slip back into a silence. He hated them at the moment; they were no longer comfortable. They were strained and hard to get out off. They had him up on his tiptoes and feeling like he had to watch himself when it came to even the smallest move, in fear of walking into something.

''Work,'' Rory answered. ''She had to work a little later than usual, but she's making it up by picking up a couple of pizza's afterwards.'' She pushed open the door to her room. ''You can set the box down on my desk.''

Dean did as she said, shoving his hands into his pockets when it was time to face her again. They had spent a lot of nights in her room doing homework or listening to the music of some unknown band that Lane had provided her best friend with. Even the most familiar seemed strange now.

''Well, now that you're here I might as well give you back all of your stuff, though it's probably scattered throughout the entire house.'' She shot him an apologetic look. ''Our house isn't as organized as yours.''

''You don't have to go through so much trouble. You can just give them back to me whenever.''

''Yeah, I know, but I-'' She bit into her lip briefly before going on. ''I want to get it out of the way.'' She tentatively met his eyes with her own.

''Okay,'' he simply agreed, understanding the haste she had behind it.

Rory looked around her room, taking a quick glance at her alarm clock. ''You know what, why don't you stay for dinner? I mean, my mom always brings home enough food for the entire town and that way we can take our time looking for all your stuff. If you want?'' She glanced back at him.

''Are you sure?''

''Of course.''

Dean nodded. ''Okay. Maybe we'll even get the chance to talk?''

Rory offered him a small smile. ''Definitely.'' She knew that they both needed it, they needed the closure.

x-x-x

By the time Lorelai came home, Rory and Dean had settled themselves on the opposite sides of Rory's bed, boldly facing each other, although a box, currently half-full with Dean's belongings, had been placed in between them. They had been talking for a little while now, discussing everything that had come to mind, leaving not even the subject of Tristan unstirred.

''Food's here!'' Lorelai called as soon as she had opened the front door.

''We're in here!'' Rory hollered back.

''We?'' Lorelai asked while appearing at her daughter's door. ''Ah, so it wasn't just a trick to get me to bring the food to you,'' she said while spotting Dean. ''Hey, Dean.''

''Hey.''

''So, can I assume that you're staying for dinner?''

''If that's okay?'' he double checked.

''Does psssh say enough. Dinner will be served in the livingroom so come and get it while it's hot,'' Lorelai said already on her way over to the livingroom.

Dean chuckled and got off the bed, waiting for Rory to do the same before making his way over to the livingroom where two pizza boxes lay opened on the coffee table. Dean was the first to sit down on the couch and reach for a piece while Lorelai reached for the ringing phone. ''Hello, one of the two Lorelai Gilmore's speaking. Oh, hey... Yeah, she's here.'' Lorelai held out the phone to Rory with a pointed look in her direction. ''It's for you.''

''Hello?''

''Hey, princess.''

''Hey,'' Rory said while moving herself into the kitchen.

''I just wanted to call and see how you're doing.''

She smiled. ''I'm fine.''

'' And how's Dean?''

She softly laughed. ''He's fine, too.''

Tristan sighed on the other end of the line. _''I think you're not getting the actual question.''_

''But I thought that that was the actual question and that you honestly care about Dean's feelings?''

''Actually, I care a little bit more about your feelings at the moment, princess,'' he confessed. _''So, what happened after I left, did you two talk?''_

he confessed. 

''Yeah, we did. We talked a lot and I think that after tonight we'll have everything sorted out between the two of us.''

''After tonight?'' he inquired. _''Do you mean that he's going to call you later on tonight?''_

he inquired. 

''No, there will be no calling involved.''

''E-mailing then?''

''I've never been a fan of e-mail; it's not personal enough.''

''So, you're saying that...''

''Dean's still here,'' she finished his sentence.

''Really?''

''Yeah, he came to return some of my stuff and I asked him to stay for dinner so we could search for his stuff and talk things out at the same time. That way we wouldn't have to rush it, you know.''

''How thoughtful of you.''

''I just didn't want things in my room that would remind me of him constantly,'' she explained.

''I get it,'' Tristan said.

''Listen, my pizza's getting cold as we speak so...''

''Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow.''

''Okay, bye.''

Rory hung up.

''Who was it?'' Dean asked once she had re-entered the livingroom.

Rory shrugged and reached for a slice of pizza. ''Just someone from school.''

x-x-x

The next morning when Rory approached her locker, Tristan wasn't alone like she had expected him to be; instead, he had some girl with him. She didn't know the girl's name and knew that from the way she was leaning into him, she was better off not knowing. She past him and opened her locker, leaving them with at least some of their privacy as she rummaged through her locker just to seem busy.

In a way, she was bothered by the other girl's presence and even felt threatened in the slightest way because of her intimidating appearance. She was afraid of the possibility that Tristan would slip back into his old habits, going for all of the girls that could be wrapped around his finger instantly instead of taking the time with her.

''So, what was up with the cold shoulder you just gave me?'' Tristan asked, surprising her with the question as soon as she had closed up her locker, the girl no longer in sight.

''I didn't give you the cold shoulder, I just didn't want to interrupt; you seemed preoccupied,'' she reasoned, leaning back against her locker so they were shoulder to shoulder.

''I was just killing some time,'' he said with a shrug of his shoulders. ''But I was waiting for _you_,'' he assured her with a look to his side.

Rory looked down at her shoes, shyly smiling, suddenly feeling stupid for doubting him. ''I'm sorry, I didn't-''

''It's okay,'' he cut her off. ''So, how was pizza last night?''

Rory looked at him with a smile. ''You mean, how did things go with Dean?''

''Yeah,'' he said somewhat sheepishly.

The bell rang.

''Is it okay if we talk about it later?'' she asked while biting her lip.

''Of course, princess. We don't even have to talk about it if you don't want to.'' He leaned into her a little more and placed a quick kiss on the top of her head. ''I'll see you at lunch,'' he whispered to her before heading off to class.

x-x-x

After school, Tristan met up with Rory at the bus stop where she sat cross-legged on one of the wooden benches, her skirt draped over her legs in a ladylike manner while her book bag rested upon them, though, ironically enough, a book was nowhere to be seen.

He sat down next to her and draped an arm across the back of the bench, jingling his keys with his other hand to get her attention. ''Do you want a ride home?''

She bit her lip for a second, but ended up shaking her head. ''No, I don't want to be that kind of girl.''

''What kind of girl?'' Tristan questioned while glancing at her.

''The one that depends on her boyfriend for everything. I'm used to riding the bus to and from school and it's something that I want to keep doing, but thanks for offering,'' she finished with a smile.

''It's just a ride home.''

She lowered her head and mumbled, ''I like the bus.''

He nodded. ''Okay.'' He thought about pointing out to her that he was still but a friend to her, but decided against it and got up instead. ''I'll see you tomorrow, Rory.''

She watched him walk away from her and another girl take her place as she hurried to catch up with Tristan. Luckily, her bus arrived before she got the chance to see the girl get into Tristan's car, otherwise she might have read into it the wrong way.

**

* * *

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**Please review? (:** Wow, this chapter even had me slightly doubting Tristan's feelings towards Rory during the whole writing process of it. I wanted him to take a step back in a way because I think that he isn'ta hundredpercentsure of what he wants just yet. And I know that this chapter didn't seem like much, but it was a lead up to the next one where there will be some gossip throw into the mix and one last confrontation. Be patient, though. :) Thanks for all of your support and kind words throughout this entire story. :) **Oh, one last thing, I've recently uploaded my first (and probably last) Buffy once piece _There is Something _so if you have the time... I'd appreciate it. :)**


	21. Misconceptions

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

**A/N:** So, I bet you thought I'd forgotten all about this fic, and I know it's hard to believe, but I didn't. I had the story in the back of my mind all this time, but didn't have the will to work on it. I kinda lost my appetite for the show and its characters. I've been really into the LOST fandom these past months, so if you want to read something other than GG stuff from me then you know where to go. For now, I hope this chapter'll do.

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* * *

**

**Misconceptions**

When Rory made her way through the crowded halls the next day, rumors in the form of knowing smiles and roguish whispers tracked her every step, though she didn't hear about anything until lunch. She took a seat next to Paris, an immediate target for the other two girls at the table. Paris shot them a warning look, but knew it wasn't enough to keep them from spreading around their newfound gossip; it was their life, after all.

''So, Rory, did you hear?'' Madeline subtly kicked off their conversation, twirling a strand of her pitch-black hair around her finger as she waited.

''Hear about what?'' Rory replied, still oblivious to what was going on around her.

''About Tristan?'' Louise sighed when there was still no reaction from the girl across her. ''Figures.''

''It's okay, though; I mean, we'll fill you in, right Louise?''

Louise rolled her eyes, but leaned in towards Rory a little more anyway. ''Let's start off easy. Do you know Brooklyn?''

''As in Brooklyn, New York?''

''No, silly,'' Madeline said with a smile. ''Brooklyn Parker.''

''I've seen her around,'' Rory offered. ''Why?''

''Well, according to Brooklyn, Tristan offered her a ride home yesterday.''

''Only they didn't make it that far, if you know what I mean,'' Madeline fell in.

They ended up at Tristan's house instead,'' Louise continued her story. ''Now, I don't know all of the details, yet, but I do know that she's been going on about how good Tristan was and how he didn't disappoint. You do get what I mean, right?''

Rory nodded, though her mind was no longer on the gossip. Her troubled expression triggered Paris to jump to her defense. ''That's a lot of talk for someone who probably didn't get any.''

''Would she brag if nothing really happened?'' Louise countered.

''Yeah, what would be the point?'' Madeline helped.

''There is none, but that's how rumors get started.''

''Well, now that we know your opinion, what do you think, Rory?'' Louise turned all of her attention on Rory, putting her in the spotlight. ''Do you believe something happened? We know Paris knows Tristan, but you know him on this whole other level.''

Rory shrugged, trying to make her answer seem more casual than it was. ''I don't know.''

''You don't know? You're on the debate team and you don't know?'' Louise asked.

''It's not any of my business.''

''It isn't?'' Madeline asked, a surprise face backing up her question.

''Right,'' Louise chipped in.

''What?''

The blond shook her head. ''Nothing. It's just obvious that something's happening between you two, and personally, I wouldn't want my boyfriend all over some other girl.''

''We're not together, Louise.''

''Oh, okay, sure, if that's how you're gonna play it.''

''I'm not playing it any way. Tristan can do whatever he wants; we are just friends, we always have been.''

''Yeah, maybe back in the day when you still wore your hair in a ponytail,'' Louise commented.

''I still wear my hair in a ponytail.''

Louise sweetly smiled at her. ''My bad.''

''What's wrong with wearing my hair in a ponytail?''

''Nothing, if you want to be plain-Jane all your life.''

''Hey, don't take this the wrong way,'' Madeline intercepted. ''We're just trying to help.''

''How?'' Paris questioned.

''Well, just look at Brooklyn; she doesn't wear her hair in a ponytail,'' Madeline cleverly pointed out.

''What are you saying?''

''She's saying that Tristan tends to go for the girls who stand out,'' Louise said.

''Yeah, stand out by hiking up their skirts and opening their legs for anyone who's willing,'' Paris mumbled under her breath.

Rory didn't say anything as she quietly gathered up her things and got up.

''Rory, wait,'' Madeline stopped her. ''We didn't mean to make you feel bad.''

''Thanks, Madeline, but I'm just going to my locker.''

''Okay, just as long as you're not mad.''

''I'm not. I'll see you guys later.''

''Yeah, great, leave me alone with them. If my IQ decreases within these next few minutes then I'm blaming you!'' Paris called out to Rory before she exited the cafeteria.

Her footsteps echoed through the empty hallways, giving the couple pressed up against her locker more than enough warning, though her pace slowed down to a full stop when she saw that it was Tristan who had some girl pushed up against her locker. Her shoulders fell in disappointment when she recognized the girl as someone other than Brooklyn; they didn't even have their hair color in common, though she could see what Louise meant with 'standing out'. She was nothing but ordinary compared to the girls Tristan usually pursued, and it did hurt now that she knew how he saw her.

_They were friends_, but then again, they had always been just that

Putting her turmoil of feelings aside, she took the last few steps towards her locker, her voice just above a whisper as she tried to get their attention. ''Excuse me.''

''Wait your turn, honey,'' the redhead said, her breath ragged and lips bruised as she came up for air.

''Yeah, wait your turn,'' Tristan chimed in before continuing his assault of feverish kisses on the girl's throat.

''I just want to get to my locker, Tristan.''

At the familiarity of his name dropping from her lips, he immediately turned.

''Wow, you were right, Tris, she is serious about all of this school stuff.'' The redhead gently pushed Tristan off of her, allowing her full access to the petite brunette in front of her. ''Don't worry, sweetie, we won't keep you from your precious books.'' She reached out for Tristan's hand. ''Come on, Tris. See you around, Rory,'' she said, both her tone and smile fake.

''We'll talk later,'' Tristan promised her before letting the redhead lead him away from her.

x-x-x

Rory made it to class just in time, though Tristan made her look good by entering the classroom even later, his hair and shirt disheveled. The teacher let him off with a firm warning and he found a seat right behind hers. When the teacher's back was turned once again, he leaned across his table and pulled at one of the sleek locks that hadn't gotten wrapped up in her ponytail. ''Hey, I'm sorry about before.''

Rory shrugged. ''It's fine.''

''Still, I want to make it up to you.''

''Tristan.'' She brought up her hand to push away his. ''We're in class.''

''Relax, Mary, Mrs. Lee doesn't have eyes in the back of her head,'' he said with a roll of his eyes, though backed off slightly.

''Maybe not.'' She turned around in her seat, her blue orbs not fully meeting his as she went on. ''But you know how serious I am about all of this school stuff.''

''Hey,'' Tristan said while tipping up her chin with a push of his thumb, forcing their eyes to cross paths. His stood worried while they did a quick scan of her hooded ones. ''What's wrong?''

Rory pulled back from his touch, no longer looking at him. ''Like I said, Tristan, it's fine.''

But he knew that it wasn't by the way she turned her back to him, and he sat back and took it, until the bell rang and she walked off, no looking back.

He hurried after her, not caring what others thought, though he hardly did care. He snatched her by the elbow as soon as he came up behind her. Rory knew it was him by the gentle way he spun her around and assured her of a soft and safe landing as he closed the door of the janitor's closed behind them.

There was no need to tug her arm free; he knew better than to touch her at such a moment, nor was there a lot of space to make her own, assuring him their intimacy for the time being.

''I have classes, you know,'' she tried to find her way out.

''I think your free period'll buy us some time,'' he wisely cracked.

Rory crossed her arms, out of excuses. ''Fine, just tell me what you want?''

''I want to know what's up with the cold shoulder?''

''Cold shoulder?'' she played innocently, a game that made him sick to his stomach. ''Don't even, Rory,'' he struck out at her.

''I'm not doing anything, and my shoulder's anything but cold.''

He snorted at her attempt to joke her way out of it. ''I hate to break it to you, Ror, but the innocent act doesn't usually work on me. I see right through your big eyes and-''

''I get the point, Tristan, but you didn't leave me with much of another choice.'' She uncrossed her arms and brought them up to her locks. ''I mean, yesterday, for the first time in a while, I thought that everything was okay again between us, but then you started to act all distance-y again.''

''How? I did everything I could to put you back at ease. I even offered you a ride home like I used to, one you politely declined.''

''I did, but you know I like the bus,'' she said with a pout.

He hid a smile. ''I know, and I accepted your decision, didn't I?''

''Well, yeah, but you hardly even waited for me to say no before you moved on.''

''What do you mean?''

Rory dropped her hands back down. ''How do you not know what I mean?''

He shrugged. ''I don't.''

''I'm talking about Brooklyn. The girl I heard took my place?''

''You heard? From who?''

''Louise and Madeline,'' she mumbled.

''And you believed their gossip?''

''Is it? Come on, Tristan, I heard practically the entire school talking about you and her and how she was apparently all over you, and that was a different girl from the one you had pushed up against your locker, unless Brooklyn decided overnight that blondes do have more fun!''

''Are you jealous?''

Rory shook her head. ''No, I just don't get why you spent so much time hurting me, and when you finally have me again and I think everything is alright again, you try to hurt me all over again!''

''You're jealous,'' he stated.

''No, I just... Forget it. I just want to go, okay?'' She gave him an intimidating look before passing him, her hand already on the door when he reached out for her once more. He placed his hand on her shoulder, his touch and tone of voice soft enough to will her back around. ''I'm not trying to hurt you, princess.''

''You're not trying hard enough.''

''Come on, Rory, I hate fighting with you.''

''And yet you're here yelling at me.''

''I'm not yelling at you,'' Tristan said through gritted teeth, close to losing his patience. ''Just tell me what you want me to do?''

Rory shook off his touch. ''I don't know. I... I guess I'm confused.''

He sighed. ''By what?''

''By you.''

''Why, Rory, why?''

''Because I really want to fully trust you again, and we are on our way to being friends again, but I'm not sure if I want that.''

Tristan clicked his tongue a couple of times, his eyes not on her as he spoke, ''Look, Rory, I know I hurt you, but I'm sorry and-''

''I know.''

''Do you!'' Tristan raised his voice for the very first time as he looked down at her. ''Because I have apologized to you over and over and still you manage to make me feel even more guilty than I already do each time you remind me of what I did.'' He paused, thinking over his next words as he wet his lips. ''If it's so hard for you to be around me, then maybe...''

''Tristan,'' she whispered.

He looked her in the eyes. ''I don't know what else to do, princess.''

''I don't want to lose you.'' Rory swallowed. ''I already lost Dean.''

''And whose fault is that?''

''Yours.'' Tears sprung to her eyes as she said that, knowing that it wasn't his fault, but wanting to make him believe that anyway. She wanted to hurt him and pay him back for what he made her feel these past few hours.

''Seem like everything's my fault, isn't it?'' he returned bitterly. He ran a hand through his hair, looking right through her instead of straight at her for once. ''I think we need a break, I need one.'' He lowered his hands. ''Now, I'm the one who wants to go.'' He chuckled at the irony, though she didn't see the humor of the situation, and stepped to the side so he could pass.

Tristan took the hint and opened the door.

x-x-x

''Welcome to detention,'' was Mrs. Lee's chipper welcome as both Tristan and Rory entered the classroom. Tristan gave the teacher a nod while moving on to his usual seat at the back of the class. Rory followed, her books pressed to her chest as she dragged her feet to a seat in the front row.

''Now,'' she began, loudly bringing her hands together, ''you both know why you are here.'' She shot Tristan a knowing look. ''In your case, Mr. DuGrey, it's no surprise, but I didn't expect it from you, Rory.''

''We were just talking,'' Rory weakly defended, knowing how it must have looked.

''Maybe, but the janitor's closet is off limits to students nonetheless.''

''We're sorry, Mrs. Lee. It won't happen again.''

Mrs. Lee took Rory's apology with an appreciative smile, seeing how nervous she was. ''I know it won't, but it did and because of that, you two will spend the next 60 minutes in this room. Now, if you're wise you'll use this time for homework, but since I can only hope when it comes to you Mr. Dugrey, I'll settle for an hour of silent reflection. You got that?''

Tristan nodded while Rory opened up one of her books.

''Good. I'll be back in an hour.'' Mrs. Lee headed for the door, throwing a quick look back at Tristan. ''I'll be in my office, so don't even think about leaving this room for anything other than a short trip to the bathroom. Got that, Tristan?''

''Yes, ma'm,'' he saluted.

Mrs. Lee couldn't help but smile as she stepped out of the room.

_They were alone._

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**Please review? (: **I know I've been out of 'this' for a while, so I hope I still managed to do this story some justice. I think I did okay. There was a lot of dialogue, but there had to be in order to get this chapter the way I wanted it to be. I hope you'll leave behind a review and pointout the good and the bad and everything in between. If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, let me know and I'll get on 'em. :) Thanks for reading and for waiting. I've my fingers crossed that people are still willing to read. :)


	22. First Kiss

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the series 'Gilmore Girls' or the original characters. All I own is my imagination.

**A/N: **It seems ages since I've shown my face at this section of the site; unfortunately, Ilost most of my interest in the show, though I do get sudden urges every now and then, which is why this final chapter did finally get written, so I hope you like it. :)

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**First Kiss**

For the first handful of minutes, Tristan was content just watching her from across the room. He had always loved just watching her, preferably when she was asleep. He had missed her, more than she knew and he wanted nothing more than to have her back, to have them back the way they were, even though it meant not being any closer to her than he was before. It was something that made him think and doubt himself; his intentions had always been good, even when he had ended up doing the wrong thing. He had always looked out for her, though going after what he really wanted still seemed selfish in every way. He made a move to get up, unsure of his intent. She got up, too, as if knowing what he didn't. She left the room and he went after her, ending up in the girls' bathroom. ''We need to talk,'' he said.

''I thought you needed a break?'' she asked, her shoulders having tensed up at his presence, having expected him to follow her, but not to actually follow her in to the girls' bathroom.

''I changed my mind,'' he answered with a shrug of his shoulders, making the decision then and there to be selfish.

Rory gripped the sink with both hands, taking a deep breath before fully turning to face him. ''And how come you did, Tristan?''

''Because I've come to a realization,'' he said while making a hesitant move towards her.

''What are you doing?'' Rory asked as he invaded her space and leaving her with none of her own, the sink already pressing into her lower back.

''I just want you to know that I was wrong,'' he told her, coming to a halt just when they were about to touch.

She pulled her arms closer to her body. ''Wrong about what?''

''About needing a break.'' He smiled in anticipation of his upcoming words, wrapping a lock of her hair around his finger as a habit. ''You know I couldn't stand to be away from you, right, princess?'' The fingers of his other hand grazed against her face and she closed her eyes. His touch felt different for some reason, more intense. Her lips parted into a pleased smile as he ran his thumb across her bottom lip. Then, without warning, he kissed her. It was a simple action that he had thought about often enough, but never went through with before because he knew that it was something he couldn't take back.

Both of his hands went up to her face, taking the lead while she shyly placed her hands up against his chest. It felt good to be so close to him, but somewhere she also felt like she should be more guarded, just because her experience didn't add up to his. She gave him a gentle push, letting him know that she wanted him to back off, and he did. ''What is it?''

''When I kissed you,'' she began, even though she didn't really know how to, ''you pushed me away.''

''You were upset,'' he reminded her, humbly bringing his eyes down to her own, seeking out a different kind of contact.

''I still am,'' she finally came to the point, one they had been over many times before.

''Yeah, but for different reasons.''

She shook her head. ''For the same reasons.''

Tristan sighed. ''We keep on reading each other wrong, don't we? It used to come so easy to us,'' he said with a wistful smile. ''What happened?''

''Everything.'' Rory turned her eyes away, the tears ready to spill at any given second if she didn't.

''Hey,'' he softly asked for her attention, wanting her to look at him before going on, ''Do you want to go back to being just friends?'' He knew how tempting the offer sounded because of how comfortable the situation had been. ''We could make it work, if that's what you want. You know that, right, Ror?''

''No,'' she said.

''Then what do you want, princess? Do you want me to stay away?''

She shook her head, another 'no' slipping from her lips, frustrating him even more, though he knew that it was how they worked. Instead, he pushed himself away from her, giving them some space; they seemed to need it a lot lately. Surprising him, she took a quick step in his direction and took hold of his shirt before he could get too far. ''I know what I want,'' she told him, surprising him again with her words. Her eyes slowly made their way upwards as she continued, ''I want you, but if we do this, then I want to be your only one.''

''You are.'' He smiled and re ran his thumb across her lower lip, knowing that he could. ''You've always been the one, princess. All the other girls were just ways to keep my mind off of you, and what I did, I'm-''

''I know'' Rory cut him off, not wanting him to say that he was sorry to her once again. ''I'm sorry for making you feel worse.'' He felt her fingers tighten their hold on his shirt. ''Are we okay again?''

He pulled her into a hug and placed a kiss on the crown of her head. ''We are more than okay.''

''I missed you.''

''I missed you, too, princess.''

She smiled into his chest and pulled away only when he did so, too.

''We should head back. I don't want to get you into any more trouble.''

She nodded and was the first to leave the bathroom, already back in her seat when Tristan entered the classroom. He watched her make her homework throughout the rest of the hour.

Afterwards, he waited for her as she got some books out of her locker, something he did all the time, though he knew that it meant more this time. He knew because of how self-conscious she was of her movements in front of him now and of how she was the first one to look away whenever their eyes met. He knew because of how nervous he was when reaching for her hand and of how holding hands with her made him think of his first kiss.

He asked her if she wanted a ride home and all she did was nod.

_It was a beginning._

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**Please review? (: **I know, the chapter is a little on the short side and I'm sure that some of you don't think of this as the best ending, but there was only supposed to be one final chapter after the las one 'Misconceptions'. Still, I hope it didn't come over as too rushed. I did feel that it was the right place to end the story because, after a lot of drama, they seemed to have come to a point where they agree that it is time to put it behind them and move on and such a point is usually the place where I end most of my stories. I hope you liked reading this story and that there were still some people out there who were patient enough to get to this chapter. Sorry for the long wait and thanks for sticking with me and for your reviews. Please be so kind as to leave behind one more. Thank you. (:


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